Meeting the great Anjelnin
by lildark7
Summary: Trying to take over the world... again. But this time, not without help.
1. Arrival

**Chapter 1****: Arrival**

* * * * *

Some people change over time.

I've met that one person that hasn't changed for over centuries…

* * * * *

_Liathente, Massachusetts; 6:35 pm EDT:_

A wave of hot air blew into my face when I got off the plane. I've had a nice flight and the weather was great. The perfect day to visit a friend. Some of you may wonder who this friend could be; well I'm not going to tell you. You'll meet her later anyway, but I'll say this much; she's totally wicked. About me, there's probably not much to say. Low self-esteem, shy and watchful I am. Someone who would be suspected to have done something bad the last. The personification of innocence. Or at least the major part of me is. I'm not going to mention how the minor part of my personality looks like, you'd be too shocked afterwards. The minor part of me however is the part I have to hide from the people of _this_ time. Back then, there was no need to. But you know. People change, seasons change, tastes change; I just hoped _she_ hadn't changed at all. I hadn't seen her for a long time.

I was making my way down to the baggage claim area and watched the people around me. They didn't really notice me, and the few who did gazed after me like they had just seen some unique animal. Well, they'd forget my face in time. Years ago I wouldn't even have noticed that people are staring after me, but that was a time before I met Angel.9.

"God finally," I had spotted my traveling bag; a big, heavy, blue thing that was already bursting at the seams. I balanced it from the baggage carousel and headed towards the exit.

The thermometer had already reached 90° Fahrenheit and the following days should become even hotter; an ordeal for everyone who hates hot summers. I however wasn't bothered; it couldn't be hot enough outside for me. I should probably move to the desert.

Outdoors A9 was already waiting for me in front of her motorbike. She was wearing her favorite platforms in which she was a head taller than me. She hadn't changed much. Her hair was dyed black and she was wearing rocker duds, but that was it. She was still the same old Angel.9.

"Heya Lil. How are things?" She smiled one of her cross smiles.

"Things are great, thank you!" I reached out my hand. "Pleased to see you after such a long time, A9."

She took my hand and said. "Pleased to see you, too." She turned to her motorbike and asked. "Ready to get going?"

"Of course I am." I climbed onto the seat behind her. "Please drive carefully, ok?"

She raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "I'm always driving carefully." She started the engine and dashed down the highway at full throttle. We arrived at her house in a blink.

"You call that carefully?" I giggled.

"Sure. You said careful, not slow. By the way I didn't do any stunts didn't I?"

"Well then, I should express myself more clearly next time, huh?"

"Agree." We both burst out laughing two seconds later.

"All right I think we should go in now. I for my part have had enough fresh air for today." she said.

We went inside and the first thing I noticed was a guitar hanging in the back corner of the room.

I asked her if she still played.

"Yeah, once in a while, if I have the time."

"Cool." I looked around with curious eyes.

Angel.9 gave me a pat on the back and said. "Feel free to take a look-around."

I was beside myself with joy. "Yay. Great, great, great." I went through the house twice and opened every single door. I found a lot of cool stuff in her room. There was a lot of jewelry, and when I say a lot then I really mean it.

She was lying on the sofa in the living room. "Just as manic as always, aren't you Liathente?"

I stopped in the middle of the movement and turned around to look at her. I couldn't tell what shocked me more, the fact that she spoke Atlantean, the fact that she used my real name to address me or the fact that she was showing me her Atlantean self as a matter of fact. She stood up and came closer. Anjelnin had to hide her true self from the Queen back in the 5th Age, because of a tool called the Nightmare's Collar, which disappeared mysteriously at the beginning of the 6th Age. I can tell you, I was the one who stole it, to make sure Anjelnin was safe.

She now stood right in front of me and asked, "Do you remember my real name?"

"Anjelnin, mel'jnayl njil'lata Anjelnin[1]," I said. "How would I dare to forget the name of the Terror of Atlantis?"

She smirked. "Yeah. How would you? Guess you knew that I'd knock the stuffing out of you if you did." She gave me a weird glance. "You'd better take a look in the mirror. You were so shocked that your shape shifted through no fault of your own."

Well, now I have to tell you this. We're all shape shifters. Every higher Atlantean had its own two individual shapes. The first was to hide and blend in, the second to intimidate, fight and defend against enemies. I however had just changed to my second shape, even though I didn't see Anjelnin as enemy.

My eyes widened. I went to the mirror in the hall. „Swell! What now?" I shook my head in disbelief. "I should definitely learn to get a grip on that." My hair had turned dark blonde my eyes bright blue. I raised one hand to take a look at my long white sharp nails. "Oh well, I can't go out like that."

Anjelnin grinned. "Oh but those nails are super cool. A total attention grabber."

"Exactly," I took a look over my shoulder at my white shimmering wings and sighed. "I haven't shifted since the beginning of the 6th Age. I'll try to shift back later, but for now I'll enjoy being Liathente for a while. Acting like I was someone else was getting on my nerves anyway." I laughed.

"Oh, you're a little dweeb, you know that?" She joked. "I shift every single night just for fun. I guess you haven't trained your combat skills either?"

"You guessed right."

She pulled me towards the garden and said. "Then let's have some fun."

* * *

_[1] Transl. Anjelnin, you're Anjelnin._

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_


	2. Arrival continued

So called "fun" turned out to be far from funny, in fact a lot of hard work was connected with it. Anjelnin chased me through the garden and sandbagged me to do the same attacks over and over again. The hours drifted away and it turned dark outside.

"Let's get inside. I'm starving." Anjelnin said and walked towards the back door.

I followed her and asked. "What's for eats?"

"Dunno. What would you like?"

"No idea. What have we got?"

"Chinese noodles, pizza, egg rolls…" She didn't stop listing things.

I cut her off. "Okay, just chuck a pizza in the oven. I'm fine with that."

"Okay."

I watched her rummaging around in the freezer for the pizza and kidded. "I hope you didn't forget to buy the pizza first."

"Very funny," She rolled eyes. "I didn't… See? Here you go!" Holding a XXL pizza Anjelnin turned on the oven.

"You carry that off?" I asked, looking rather concerned about the way she was running around in the kitchen, searching for something.

"Sure! I'm not dumb." She put the pizza in the oven and raised an eyebrow. "Is there something wrong?"

"Not at all. I just realized that you're a little chaotic… unorganized." I shook my head. "Well, never mind."

"Right."

Anjelnin and I left the kitchen and went into the sitting room. She turned on the TV and I bagged myself a book from her bookshelf. Neither of us were talking for a while. Then:

"You're looking after the pizza right?"

"Nope. I thought you were," she gave me a 'don't-you-know-I-always-burn-things' look.

I jumped up. "Bloody hell!" There was smoke coming out of the kitchen. "The pizza!"

Anjelnin was already rushing towards the kitchen door, "Forget the pizza! What about my kitchen?!"

I ran after her.

The whole oven was ablaze and the fire had started to ignite the counter tops.

I reached for the phone in the kitchen and started dialing 911, but Anjelnin seized it before I could finish.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" she snapped at me.

"Calling the fire department?!" I answered totally choked up.

Anjelnin tapped her forehead. "Are you nuts? Go and save your belongings first!"

"But-"

"You can call them later! Now MOVE!"

I spun around, sprinted back to the sitting room and took my luggage. Anjelnin was next to me, putting her laptop into her carpetbag. She threw a few jeans, shirts and a jacket to it, grabbed her favorite pink sunglasses, chokers and platforms and headed outside.

"Hey! What about the phone, so we can finally call the fire department?!" I called after her.

She turned at the front door. "Forget about the fire department! Better get your ass outta here!" her voice was all over the place.

The sudden change in her expression made me hurry. "What-"

"Don't ask, move!"

I reached the door just as a loud BANG came out of the kitchen.

* * * * *


	3. Authors Note

A/N: Since I somehow ended up writing single scenes for the story whenever I felt like writing something I'm going to upload the parts here. (I was planning on putting all the parts together into a whole story, which honestly will take a while. .) For all of you who're going to read the stuff that's gotten over a year old in the meantime I will have to rework the whole thing in the end anyway xD. So idk, yes the story still has a plot, but yeah it's a little different from the one it had a year ago. Anyway, enjoy the partial confusing nonsense I wrote. I guess some parts won't make sense at all. If so feel free to ask me about it xD

For now. Enjoy all the parts I'm going to upload.

There are parts I ended up writing just for fun, not intending to actually put them into the actual story, so basically it's a mess. xD

The parts are not in order btw. It's jumping from part to part, the scene numbers are only for me so I have a vague idea of when the part is supposed to come up in the story.

Well enough of the babbling. Feel free to comment if you want to.

Grammar mistakes included. I was too lazy to look over it again. xD If you find anything irritating spelling mistakes, whatever. Feel free to correct them. ^^

Oh and I forget to mention. The story was supposed to have 3 different endings. One of them is already written. So there might be some confusions with the timeline of the whole thing. xD Oh well.

But now for real. Enjoy reading. ^^


	4. Scene 1: Testing The Nightmares Collar

**SCENE 1:  
_~ TESTING THE NIGHTMARE'S COLLAR ~_  
**

_If you had complete control over someone, what would you do?_

* * *

"I don't think that's a good idea," I said, looking at Anjelnin with worried eyes. I didn't like the idea at all. It was dangerous, giving Natla complete control.

"It's fine, don't worry about me," said Anjelnin, smiling at me. She was completely convinced that Natla wouldn't take advantage of the situation. I however wasn't.

"Don't do this," I whispered, stepping back as Natla placed the heavy black and silver necklace, which contained of two parts, a black one with leather and spikes and a silver finer one, around her neck. I looked up at her. Her expression was balefully evil.

My hands became cold. "Anjelnin, please don't do this."

"You're afraid," Natla stated. "Don't worry. It won't hurt a bit… not me." She began to grin viciously, her voice turned algid yet biting.

"Anjelnin, Terror of Atlantis," – Anjelnin's eyes changed color. A blazing purple ran from her pupils further to the outer edges of the irises. A sinister smile crossed her face.

"What's your bidding, your Highness?" Her voice was as cold as Natla's. She was handed a long switchblade.

"Stab her!" Natla ordered.

Anjelnin moved forward, staring at me like a psycho, raising the switchblade.

The Nightmare's Collar gives it's owner complete control over the person who wears it and makes it impossible for them to defy any order. And that was the case I was afraid.

Natla gave her the order to literally kill me, and she was now able to do so, even though I'm immortal. It was the perfect weapon for her. It made the impossible possible.

I stood there unable to step away from her. She was pinning me with her gaze. An intense headache was spreading in my head, making it almost impossible for me to think. She raised the switchblade higher.

"Anjelnin," I was begging her. "Please don't do this."

Her eyes flared. I couldn't avert my gaze. The silver part of the Nightmare's Collar began to glow in the same color Anjelnin's nails did when she was teleporting. I felt a sharp pain in my neck. My vision changed. It was like someone had laid a violet veil over my eyes, I was even able to see ultraviolet light. My focus was centered on Anjelnin. The surroundings were dimly shown.

Anjelnin however, was still standing there with the blade raised and looked around. Her expression had drifted into an even more devilish one.

She said. "Well, that makes it more interesting, though." She turned around and walked over to Natla.

"Maybe _she_ can't see you now." - She paused and glanced at me over her shoulder, playing with the knife in her hand. Her voice gave me goosebumps.

The Nightmare's Collar was glowing, casting eerily shadows on her face. I noticed that the silver part was missing. I felt around my neck and my fingers touched burning hot metal. I was wearing the second part of the Collar!

Anjelnin laughed.

"But _I_ still _can_!" - And threw the switchblade after me.

I couldn't remember what happened after Anjelnin threw the blade. I couldn't even remember if it hit me or not. The only thing I could remember was a bright white light, flashing around me, radiating outwards until I and everyone else was blinded.

I looked around and noticed that I was lying in a huge room with many picture windows. Everything looked welcoming and open. The walls were painted in a cool yellow. It looked like I was in a spare room of a mansion or something.

I sat up and looked down at me. There were no visible injuries and no pain either. I tried to recall what happened.

There was Anjelnin, staring at me, Natla watching us in the background and the Nightmare's Collar, burning on my skin.

Automatically I raised my hand to feel for it. I winced when my hand touched the now cold metal. I tried to take it off, but there was no clasp. I lowered my hand again and sighed. There was no way to avoid seeing Anjelnin again and to be honest; I didn't want to avoid her. She was the only one I could speak outright with. But now… now I was afraid of her, of what she did, even though she did it under the influence of the Nightmare's Collar.

Anjelnin was always the one who scared people; she didn't even have to do something for it. Kids ran off when she entered the room, as if they had sensed that she can't bear them.

I heard the door open and turned to look who had entered. It was Anjelnin and she tightly shut the door behind her.

I jumped out of the bed onto my feet, ready to defend myself.

"Ease! I'm not here to hurt you." She looked me in the eyes and her glance was filled with profound regret. "I'm so sorry, Liathente. Everything that happened last night was my fault. I'm so glad you're fine."

I noticed that she was holding her side.

"What happened?" I asked.

"Nothing, really," she glanced away. A dark shadow flittered over her face.

"Hey, you know that you can tell me everything." I went up to her. "So, what happened?"

Anjelnin gazed around like a trapped animal searching for an escape. "I… I can't tell you."

She turned around and rushed out of the room.

"Hey!" I ran after her.

Never ending would be the best description for the halls and corridors I ran through during my attempt to catch Anjelnin. She was running extremely fast and I couldn't keep up with her. She was about to pass another corner.

"Anjelnin!" called I. "Wait!"

She came to a halt, spun around and saw me approaching her. "Stop right there! I swear I have no idea what I'm doing next."

I did what she said. "What's the matter with you?"

"I don't know," she shouted, moving further down the corridor. "It's the collar. It's causing me to do things I don't want to. – She is causing me to do things I don't want to. And now that you're wearing a part of it Natla can control you too. She's using me as a medium."

I stood there paralyzed for a moment or two, but not because of what Anjelnin said, no. It was because of the voice that was echoing in the back of my head a second after she had finished her sentence; it was Natla's voice.

"What's happening here?" I asked. "I… I can hear her voice in my head, but I can't understand what she's saying."

Anjelnin must have heard it too. She was standing there looking at the Nightmare's Collar which begun to glow again. This time black instead of purple.

I stepped back. My part of the collar also started to glow, but white. "What's going on?"

"Natla just gave me the order to shoot you, if you should ask me any questions," replied Anjelnin pulling a gun out of her jacket, pointing it at me, her expression turned chilly.

"I don't wanna get shot," said I.

She raised her eyebrow and grinned. Now _she_ was approaching me. "Not? A pity," Anjelnin unlatched the weapon, but lowered it. "I'll tell you something. I can't put you to death. The collar's making it impossible. Natla thought she's smart commanding me to take you out. Well, I guess she's not. Actually, she's really a fool to do so. I was on my guard yesterday and attached that part of the Nightmare's Collar to you right in time. Well however, attaching a part of it to you has its ad- and disadvantages. I can't kill you, which is a good thing. But she can control you, now. Over me, she has complete control, if she's telling me to give you orders you can't do anything else but obey and that's definitely a bad thing..."

"You can't kill me?" I was wondering if it was Natla having her to tell me all this.

"No," she raised the gun again and I tensed my muscles. "Let me show you!"

Anjelnin pulled the trigger before I could even react. She couldn't have stopped it, even if she wanted to... The shot resounded in the hall. The bullet exploded when it hit the blinding clear white light that flashed up like a photoflash in front of me, building a shield. A second light flashed up just a second after the first, firing back at Anjelnin. It was the same light I had seen yesterday, when Anjelnin threw the switchblade, and it came from the collar itself.

A small dust cloud was all that was left of the bullet… and the handgun.

"Oh shit. My hand's all fucked."

I looked to see what happened to her. Anjelnin's hand was bleeding and not just a little. Streams of blood were running down her fingers, dropping onto the floor.

"Fuck," Anjelnin didn't move, she was in shock. "My hand…"

I tumbled forward, "Holy shit!"

"Stay back!" She barked her emerald eyes turned black. "That I'm unable to kill you doesn't mean that I can't harm you anymore."

She lifted her uninjured hand. Her nails began to give off a faint purple glow. She jerked a powerful blast into the air and a gaping hole appeared. Anjelnin dove into it and disappeared, leaving a black cloud of smoke behind her.

I stood there unable to move for seconds; then I ran.

Only the Gods knew where Anjelnin had disappeared and so I was, not really knowing where I headed, searching for Natla in the mansion. I lost my bearing in the first hall already. I was swearing the whole time. It was a wonder if she didn't hear me. Passing another corner I found myself standing in some kind of conference room. I noticed that everything was, just as in the spare room I woke up in, bright and open. In fact, the whole mansion was. Every hall and every corridor had large picture windows and walls painted in light cool colors. In the conference room I had just entered they were sky blue. A long table with several wooden chairs around it stood in the middle of the hall.

"Found your way here?" Natla's cold voice came from behind me.

I turned around. Natla was standing in the doorway, smiling slyly.

"All right, where did she go?" I snarled. "You sent her away, didn't you?"

Natla's smile became mean. "Maybe. Maybe not." She walked up to me and leaned forward. Her voice was only a cold whisper; her eyes were staring into mine. She chuckled. "Now that Anjelnin is gone for a while I have you all for myself to play with. We'll see if it's as fun as pushing Anjelnin around." She straightened up; her voice became the same tone it had when she was commanding Anjelnin. She spoke, "Liathente; Light in the Dark."

If she had assumed that I would respond the way Anjelnin did then she had erred, because I didn't respond at all. I just stood there, not knowing what to do.

Natla raised an eyebrow. She had no idea that she couldn't control me herself. Anjelnin really had told me everything on her own will and not on Natla's; she had found a way to partly resist the influence of the collar. Usually she would follow Natla's commands with no thoughts or reasons of her own.

Natla's mind raced, it was written all over her face. She stared at the silver necklace around my neck and the on switch in her head was turned. She let out a growling laugh. "Anjelnin!" she said aloud.

Anjelnin appeared with a bang. A tornado of black smoke was raging around her. She was attired in black completely: Black long jacket with metal rings on it, black jeans, black platforms and no pink sunglasses which usually covered her eyes so tightly. Her demeanor was self confident and kind of aggressive. She looked dangerous, more than that, she looked like she would willingly kill and enjoy it. She glanced at me and what I saw in her intensely purple glowing eyes scared me. A piercing pain struck through my head and shortly blurred everything in my sight. Everything apart from Anjelnin. She stood out as sharp as a razor. I could hear my heartbeat getting faster, pumping adrenalin through my veins and felt like I've been pulled the rug out from under my feet. She raised her hands and exposed black long nails that were sharpened to points; they looked like she could tear steel with them. All that happened within seconds. My eyes got stuck to her claws. The black tornado faded with the bang and I could catch a glimpse of her pitch black wings before she folded them behind her back.

She turned to Natla who leaned forward and stated, "You can command her, don't you?" Her voice became cold. "Well, now I want you to tell her to show you her Atlantean form. The one _she kills with_." The last three words were an ominous whisper.

Anjelnin turned, walked boldly up to me and clenched my arms with her claws. I tried to free myself out of her grip, but stood no chance. She was stronger than me, much stronger and that she had taken on her Atlantean form didn't make it any easier. It was almost impossible to get away from her in her Atlantean form. She'd chase you, catch you and dismember you.

She spread her wings and shielded us from Natla's sight. From that close proximity I could even see the texture on her leathery wing membranes. If she had looked dangerous from the distance then it was nothing compared to what she looked like at close range. A psychopathic killer would look like a clown next to her.

Anjelnin battered one of her claws into the stony table top; they went through it like nothing. With a loud scratching noise she tugged her nails along the table and drew seven Atlantean runes on it. They read:

I never wanted this to happen!

Her eyes flickered from purple to green for a moment and I could see pain in their depths, but when they changed back they glowed like never before. It was like a fire was burning in them and I knew that she wasn't able to resist what Natla had told her to any longer.

"Do it, _now_!" Natla commanded.

Anjelnin's hand spurted and I was thrown adamantly to the cold hard stone table. She jumped onto it and bent over me, taking my wrists and pushing them down with her hands to both sides of my head. She placed her knees on my legs. I couldn't get away.

Her face distorted in a morbid way and her eyes were opened unnaturally wide as she spoke, "Liathente, Light in the Dark."

I screamed. An unbearable pain rushed through my body, vitriolic like a deadly poison. I felt my nails growing and hardening and the world turned red. It was like a blood red veil was laid over my eyes. The pain increased and tears started running down my face as my wings began to grow out of my back. My screaming became shrill. Anjelnin was still over me, watching my every move. She put her finger to her lips and stared into my eyes. She gently said, "Stop screaming, Lia," but the frightening smile on her face didn't fit in with it.

Her voice, it echoed in my head, sharp cold and merciless, opposite to the way she had spoken and _that_ did fit in! I couldn't defy the command. There was no option, I couldn't think. The only thing that was left in my head was Anjelnin's voice and it wouldn't go away and take the pain with it until I had done what she had told me to.

I stopped screaming. Her voice faded away and left behind total blackness and silence. I didn't know what was worse this oppressive silence or her pitiless voice.

"And how does it feel like? To be pushed around, to have to do whatever I say? Are you scared? Are you angry?" Anjelnin released me and stepped down form the table with a catlike movement. "Stand up and answer, sweetie," she said with faked sweetness.

I stood up, slowly. "I don't know. I can't think. But yeah, I'm afraid."

Anjelnin raised an eyebrow. I hadn't moved an inch. She had assumed I'd follow her down from the table, but I couldn't. I couldn't do anything without her order; my head was empty, a black hole, with her voice in it.

"_You are allowed to move, think and interact with me and Natla without my permission,"_ Anjelnin's voice echoed in my head. She hadn't spoken aloud.

The emptiness in my head abated and with it the intense, overwhelming feeling of despair not being able to do anything; the feeling of being a marionette, dead and lifeless.

"The effect of the collar's much stronger on you than it is on me," Anjelnin stated. "I'm surprised, you couldn't even move on your own. But now you are, aren't you?"

I nodded, but I didn't really know.

"_That_ was an answer, and it's no prove that you actually _are_ able to move on your own free will," she said, walked back towards me and opened her arms. "What about a hug?"

I stepped back and shook my head. Anjelnin came closer.

"Now come on!" she jumped back onto the table again and I flinched further.

"No!" I whispered. _'No, I don't wanna hug her. I'm afraid of her… but she's my friend,' _the sentence ran through my mind over and over.

Anjelnin put forth her hand and halted. "Take my hand." She saw me hesitating and assured, "I swear I'm not gonna hurt you."

I took a deep breath and reached out, slowly and anxious. I didn't want to do this, but I was afraid she'd force me to in the end. My hand was shaking as I laid it into Anjelnin's. Her fingers one by one closed around it, two heavy silver rings on them. The metal was cold against my skin. I winced.

Anjelnin gently pulled me into her arms and wrapped her wings around us, so we were once again shielded form Natla's sight. Not a single ray of light shone through her wing membranes. Darkness had closed about us. The air was warm and stuffy.

My head was resting on her chest and she stroked me soothingly, the same way you'd stroke a little kid that had been scared about something for no reason.

"You see. I'm not hurting you," she breathed into my ear. She was still scaring the shit outta me. One second ago she'd been pushing me around and now she was holding me in her arms like a little kid.

The hand that'd been stroking me the whole time went down to my cheek. I turned my head away, but Anjelnin's other hand smoothly pushed it back up so I was facing her. She kept her hands on my cheeks and didn't release them again.

"Can you see me?" she asked calmly.

"No." I wouldn't dare to shake my head with her long sharp nailed fingers on my face.

"Well, why don't you spend us a little light then?" there was a strange undertone in her voice I couldn't interpret.

"Erm… ok." I held my right palm up and lowered my gaze.

Anjelnin's nails bored into my cheeks. "Look at me," she whispered.

I looked up immediately and felt the pressure on my cheeks reducing.

She could see me. It was pitch dark and she saw me anyhow. She was watching my every move, every change in expression, every ever-so-slight reaction to her actions.

I tried to concentrate to make a light sphere appear on my hand, but it wouldn't work with Anjelnin watching me, I already knew it.

"Well, what about a little light now?" Anjelnin purred. "Or don't you wanna see me?" I felt her hand closing around my wrist. "Now, try it! Try to make the sphere appear without looking at your hand."

I tried again and Anjelnin's grip around my wrist tightened. Light flashed up and lightened up her face. A vicious smile curled her lips as she stared at me. She tightened her grip further and lowered her gaze to my hand, her smile became wider. I looked down. Black smoke started to cover my hand and moved up my arm, consumed the light I was holding. The light sphere began to flicker like a broken bulb and dimmed. I concentrated harder, made the light sphere glow stronger and tried to suppress the black smoke. Anjelnin pushed my head up.

"Without looking at your hand, I said! Do I have to use the collar again?"

The light dimmed further. I looked into black eyes. The smoke had made for the color change. I stared into their mesmerizing abyss, unable to avert my gaze. Anjelnin didn't blink as she came closer, pushing her face so close to mine that I could feel her breath on my skin. The hand that wasn't holding my wrist wrapped itself around my neck.

My eyes widened with fear. "What are you doing?" I asked, my voice trembling.

"Nothing," she breathed and opened her wings slowly.

The darkness that had closed about us spread out, crawled in every corner of the sunlight illuminated room, and created an oppressive sense of distress. Anjelnin began to disappear before my eyes the further the blackness crawled towards the walls of the room. It was like she was becoming one with it. Her outlines blurred and a second later I couldn't see her anymore. She was gone.

I still felt her breath on my face, but she had released my wrist. The light sphere on my hand had disappeared as well. I couldn't see anything.

Anjelnin laughed, and stated in a creepy way, "I'm a shadow in the dark…" Something heavy hit me in the stomach. She had kicked me, catapulted me directly to the floor. My head spun from the impact. Lying there still, I hear her voice coming out of nowhere; I couldn't locate her even if I wanted to. "Let's play hide and seek, Lia." Anjelnin's heavy footsteps made the ground shake. She was standing next to me now. The sound of leather rubbing against jeans was heard as she hunched over me. "Let's see if you can hide from me…" she whispered in a way that made me want to flee. "…but with this—" A light sphere appeared on her hand so bright it hurt my eyes. I squinted and gasped. "—that should be mere child's play. I'll hunt you… and I'll _catch you._"

I drew back as far as I could before she grabbed me by the scruff of the neck and pulled me up with her. She smirked and her face became a threatening mask before she extinguished the sphere in her hand. "I took that from you to make sure you won't cheat. Now, only I can define if there'll be light or not… and trust me, there won't be any until you beg me on your knees…" she laughed and continued, "…and even then I'm not sure if I'll measure up…"

Anjelnin released me and I stumbled into the direction I assumed the door, knocking chairs over as I bumped against them. My hand found the doorknob and I banged the door shut behind me, the noise came along with Anjelnin's mad guffaw. Her voice was everywhere, seemed to come from the walls, the floor and the ceiling… there was no escape.

"_I'm thinking of what I'm gonna do with you when I caught you…I can make you do anything… I could make you stab me and punish you in return. I could make you kill yourself… could make you strangle yourself, slowly and painfully…"_ Anjelnin's voice had taken on a cruel low tone, and I sounded the satisfaction in it out. She enjoyed torturing me. For her it was a game she could play every day. For me on the other hand it was dead serious.


	5. Scene 4: Sacred Places

**SCENE 4**  
_**SACRED PLACES** _

* * *

_2/11/11_

_The city is changing, and we're changing with it._

_Nothing can stop us from achieving our goal now._

_We're willing to do whatever it takes;_

_even if that means that someone has to die…_

* * *

_10.000 years in the future._

Nothing was the way it were before. The seventh Age had begun 2.000 years ago and the changes we made were already visible. Less people and a kinda cool atmosphere everywhere you go. The Atlantean race was growing bigger, slowly erasing the human race form the world. Everyone had changed; even I. Time had made me cold and indifferent towards almost everyone and everything and that was just how it goes being immortal. I now could see the way Natla acted was quite normal back then.

I entered the great hall of the church the Atlanteans had built for us, with us I mean me and Anjelnin, and spoke out loud, my voice resounded from the cold stone walls. "I am now here. So what is it you wanted to speak about with me?"

There was a deafening bang followed by a black cloud of smoke and total darkness as if someone had turned the lights out… and short after on again. In front of me, an inch away, stood Anjelnin with the same plain cold expression on her face that covered mine as well. I didn't shrink back from her, I didn't even blink.

She said, "There're traitors among us and we'll take them out tonight. They're plotting to take the central territory down, I guess Natla's not pleased to hear about it." Anjelnin started walking up and down before me and went on, "We have to plan everything through. Those people are smarter than I thought; they already know our intentions and will take immediate action, so we have to be quick about it." She glanced at me. "You need to teleport with me tonight." – And stopped walking back and forth. "Remember what I told you?"

"Yes," Now I was to start walking. "If teleporting, never loose sight of your destination, and never doubt yourself."

"Right," Anjelnin's eyes bored into mine. "Doubt kills. Never forget that! You know what happened to that little girl in the house millennia ago."

An image of a 4 years old girl, covert in blood as she tried to reach the wooden door of the shack flashed up in my head. "Yeah… I remember."

"Good, then let's fresh up your combat skills before we come to teleporting," she smirked, turned around and went up to the altar in the front part of the church. We were standing approximately 1.000 feet apart. Anjelnin's right hand was readied to engage, her black long sharpened nails glowed in a pale purple, which moved up her arms along her body until she was completely shrouded in it. Somewhere in the distance thunder was growling. She called, "Ready? On three: One, two…" – She lifted her hand higher and the glowing became stronger. With a throw away movement of her hand we were wrapped in total blackness. – "Three."

The temperature in the hall had dropped by several degrees. I would probably have seen my breath, if I could have.

Anjelnin's voice echoed in the hall, coming out of the blue. "So, what will you do now? You can't see me, you can't locate me, you can't hear my footsteps until I'm very close and then it's already too late. I'm like a ghost in the dark, silent and deadly." I heard her stepping behind me, just as her claw like hand closed around my neck. She didn't tighten her grip, but she didn't release it either. "How easy it'd be to kill you now," she said in a cold, dangerous voice. "I could strangle you, if I wanted. I could even break your neck."

I turned my head and looked at her. We stood so close that I could see my face reflected in her eyes. "Try it," I said, and a crook smile spread across my face.

Anjelnin's hand shut tight, squeezing the breath out of me for seconds before her hand simply glided through my neck. She stood there trying to grab air. I turned around and said, "Well seems like it actually isn't so easy to strangle me, huh?"

She laughed. "No, it isn't," – and quickly grabbed me by the shoulders, pushing me against the next column. "You're too passive Liathente. Try to engage me," she spoke urgently, a cold undertone swung with her voice. "I'll bite if you don't." She came closer and bared her teeth. Lifting a hand she placed one of her long sharp nails on my cheek. "And I'll peel the flesh off your bones." Her eyes again became that crazy psycho stare I so hated. It freaked me out, made me loose control over my actions.

I felt the pressure around me rising. Anjelnin knew exactly what she was doing. She wanted me to loose control so I would engage. I could never harm her on my own free will; she always had to give me a little push. It became harder for her to keep the grab on my shoulders. The force field that was building up around me slowly pushed her away, first her hands then the rest of her. She threw herself against it with all her might. A noise that sounded like breaking glass appeared with a crack on the transparent white glowing force field. Anjelnin teleported behind it and stood in front of me again. I winced and the shock wave I triggered off fired her right through the transparent wall that had pushed her away before. With a sound of shattering glass it smashed to smithereens. Anjelnin was catapulted across the hall against the opposite wall. The moment she hit it everything lightened up a little. Through the twilight the spot where she had impacted was now clearly visible. Parts of the wall had quarried out and smashed to the floor, in the middle of it lay Anjelnin grinning like a lunatic.

"Is that all you've got?" She was dusting herself off as she stood up. She didn't catch a scratch. "I'm disappointed, Lia. Really." She teleported again and again and became faster with every time she disappeared. "Try to make me stop!"

I smiled and leaned against a nearby column. "Ok. Would you please be so kind and stop?"

Anjelnin came to a halt in front of me. "WTF, Liathente? You wanna make your enemies stop attacking you by simply begging them?"

My smile became wider. "No… but see? You stopped."

An arctic breeze went through the hall and grew stronger.

"Lia, you can't be serious!" The arctic air started circling around her. Ice crystals built up in it and she began to shiver.

"Are you cold?" I asked innocently and let the blizzard brewing up until the hall of the church was covered in snow.

"What does it look like?" Anjelnin snapped. Her lips turned blue; she was freezing.

"So you can't teleport now, can you?"

"No," she hissed. "You know as well as I do that when you freeze your immediate environs the powers of everyone around are frozen. I wouldn't even be able to teleport in here from outside the church."

"Yeah, but apart form that you would still be able to fly inside and out, because shape shifting still works. So, are you satisfied with me now?" I walked down the hall towards the entrance door.

"I guess I am," said Anjelnin. "But there's still something that needs to be done…"

A snow ball hit the back of my head.

I reeled around. "Hey! What the fuck was that for?"

She was dying of laughter. "I don't know, but you definitely deserved it!"

I unconcealed my wings and stretched them to the limit. With one giant flap I blew a heavy snow-drift against her so that she had the ground cut from under her feet. I grinned and said, "Well, then I assume you deserved that too."

Anjelnin was over and over covered in snow, she looked crestfallen. Her expression turned playfully evil. "You really shouldn't have done this," she growled. She ran towards me and readied to grab and lift me into the air. She wouldn't have any problems to do so, I knew that. Unfolding her wings she took off, caught me and soared along the ceiling in search for a big snow pile.

"What are you doing? Giving me a bird's eye view of the church? Well, I'm perfectly able to do that alone, you know?"

Anjelnin raised an eyebrow. "Really? Then excuse me." She grinned and let go.

I fell; 500 feet before I hit the ground I opened my shiny white wings, flapped and glided back up to Anjelnin. Snow whirled up beneath me. I noticed that she was still cold and lowered the intensity of the blizzard to an arctic breeze, so the snow wouldn't melt. I asked her, "Are you able to teleport with the blizzard gone?"

She answered, "I don't know, I think it's still too cold in here."

"Can you try?"

She merely raised her hand to the heavens and her nails gave off that purple glow. The bang came, but the blow was missing. Nothing happened as she pulled her hand back. "I guess that's a…"

The entrance doors swung open and Natla, boiling with rage, rushed in.

"Down here with the two of you!" she snarled. "NOW!"

Anjelnin and I glanced at each other. Never had we seen Natla that furious. It was scary.

"Anjelnin, did you do anything you shouldn't?" I whispered.

"WTF, no!" she defensively raised her hands.

Natla shouted, "Will you come down here? Otherwise I'll have to come up and then you'll be in greater trouble!" I could see that she was holding a small flame in her hand, too small to cause any damage. I was still maintaining the cold in the church.

We, silently circling, soared down to Natla. It was much colder down here than up there.

The flame on Natla's hand extinguished. "So, now tell me…" – she threateningly raised her hands, – "… what you were doing here…" – tightly closed them around our throats – "…while a group of bloody humans is plotting against us?" – and lifted us off of the ground.

I couldn't breath. The temperature in the hall began to rise again and that fast. The snow was melting away.

"We were training," Anjelnin said breathlessly.

Natla's eyes turned to slits and bored into Anjelnin's. "Really? So you call throwing snowballs at each other training?" She tightened her grip even more.

"Can't breathe…" I gasped and became pervious short after.

Natla's hand glided through my neck as Anjelnin's before. I fell to the floor, coughing and gulping.

Natla's cold blue eyes fixed on me. I withdrew. "Interesting," she stated and formed a fireball in her hand.

"Stop! Let us explain first!" Anjelnin rattled, she was turning blue.

Natla didn't seem to care about what we had to say. She flung Anjelnin across the hall into the wall and closed in on me...

"No please, leave me alone!" I shrieked, withdrew further and glanced around for an escape. My eyes literally scanned the room and remained two seconds longer on Anjelnin than on everything else. Blood stuck in her hair. She didn't move.

"Anjelnin," I panted for breath.

Natla's vicious eyes followed my gaze. Her lips curled to a cruel smile as she saw her lying motionless between parts of the smashed wall on the ground.

She faced me again and laughed a horrid evil laugh.

"You're next!" she whizzed.

"No, please!" I crouched into Anjelnin's direction. "We haven't done anything!"

"Exactly," the fireball Natla was holding became larger. "And I guess that means the two of you are useless to me now," she said snidely. "So why not getting rid of something that's useless anyway."

I couldn't believe what I just heard. We had served her for over centuries and she just treated us like dirt. I was glad Anjelnin hadn't heard what Natla said; she'd hit rock bottom. Literally. She adored Natla and hearing her saying something like that… I could vividly imagine her reaction…

"We're not useless," I whispered. Again, I looked over to where Anjelnin lay.

She moved.

Natla didn't notice. "You think so? Well… I don't!" she was about to hurl the fireball at me.

It lightened outside. The thunderstorm that we had heard in the distance earlier was now right above us.

There were static noises followed by lightning. It struck into one of the outer left columns that held the balcony and pulled it down. The sound of its smashing to the floor echoed in the hall. I took my chance and ran to Anjelnin, while Natla was distracted for a second. A fireball whooshed past my ear and banged in the ground.

"Anjelnin," I went to my knees next to her. She was bleeding from the back of her head, where she had hit the wall. Only half conscious she looked up at me, her gaze clouded. She was on her way to faint. "Anjelnin, please you gotta stay awake. You gotta get us outta here!"

She tried to get up, but immediately collapsed again. Her legs wouldn't carry her weight. "I can't move… I'm sorry." Her eyes flattered and closed.

"No, please!" I shook her and her eyes snapped open again. "Stay awake!" I begged.

Another fireball smashed into the wall above, and dust and debris rained down on us. I glanced over my shoulder and saw Natla coming closer, her face a rage filled grimace.

I didn't think twice, now it was act or die. I threw Anjelnin over my shoulder and took a run for the entrance door. Natla slowly stretched her wings and almost pranced two steps before she took off. With incredible speed she darted along the ceiling, setting it alight. The wooden beams caught fire immediately.

Smiling abominably she had a new cruelty in mind. Her cold eyes locked on Anjelnin and there was a huge amount of bloodiness burning within their depths. "Anjelnin, Terror—"

"NO!" I screamed. "No, that'll kill her! I beg you, just please stop it!"

Natla went on ignoring me, not caring at all. "—of Atlantis."

Anjelnin turned her head at Natla. Her eyes were blank, her expression emotionless. She was in kind of a trance, wasn't conscious any longer and couldn't offer any resistance to Natla and the effect of the collar.

_Crack, crack, crack._

I looked up. One of the beams was on its way down to the floor. Like in slow motion I saw it falling. I jumped out of harm's way, Anjelnin still over my shoulder. My head hit the hard cold stone. I saw stars. Another beam began to crack above me and slumped. I rolled to the side to sidestep it and tried to push Anjelnin out of harms way in the process. I didn't see the fireball that rushed towards me, the only thing I saw was Anjelnin being floored by the end of the beam that had just missed me by inches. Blood splattered across the floor.

The rushing noise of fire made me jerk my head up. The fireball hit me the second I saw it. I was thrown at the wall, right to the spot Anjelnin was before.

The last thing I saw before I fainted was Natla stepping up to me.

_2 hours earlier:_

"Elise," a high chilly voice said, addressing a tall woman with dark, almost black hair of fair appearance, who looked like a model dressed in a silky red designer dress.

She turned around to face the woman who had addressed her.

"Little 'Miss Disappear' found out about us," the woman went on.

"Yeah?"

"Yes," the woman replied. "She knows what we're up to. And so does Natla."

Elise's grey eyes sparkled with great satisfaction. "Natla knows?" She smiled and looked into the distance. "Good. Then everything just goes as planned."

The woman bowed and was to leave when Elise called her back. "Ruby!"

"Yes?"

"You can take a break now. You've done enough for today. Let me finish the rest now. And…" she bowed on her part. "Stop doing that. I told you there's no need to."

Ruby looked up at Elise with her grayish green eyes; her ruby red hair with stair cut and side part framed her face. "All right," she said, an expression of hatred gleaming deep down in her eyes.

She hated Elise's guts for something she had done to her. Every time she looked into her eyes she felt her temper flaring up and rising, raging like a firestorm inside her, making her want to lunge at her and tear her apart. An abnormal cruelty was forever burned into her mind, causing endless fear and hate.

On one hand she longed to make Elise pay for what she'd done, letting her feel the same pain she had felt, but having said that she would not dare to touch her.

Ruby still saw that cruelty in Elise's eyes, as she returned the look. That cruelty that had forced her to give up her dreams. It were simple dreams Ruby had hold on to, but they were nothing like what she was mandatory to aim for now.

Elise turned back to the storm outside the completely glazed box-girder bridge that connected the main complex on the island with the complex of buildings located on the hovering island in the middle of the center territory. It was the conning bridge. From here Elise had control and overview over the whole area they were about to take down this night.

"Look who we have here!"

Elise beckoned Ruby over. She paced to the glazed wall and followed Elise's gaze down to one of the other hovering islands, all connected by bridges. The conning bridge however was the only glazed one. Double glazed actually.

"Miss Disappear is spying on our henchmen," she stated.

Anjelnin was standing in the pouring rain, the light of blinding bright flood lights shining into her white face. She was watching Elise's soldiers pull out from a hall with the label B2. Anjelnin knew she was being watched by Elise and some other woman from the conning bridge. Her senses were focused on everything around her. If someone would attack, she'd know it and disappear before a single bullet could reach her. Anjelnin didn't figure any of the people as a threat. They were no match for her. Her only match was Natla, and sometimes Lia in a way. No one here was even slightly as powerful as they were. Well in fact, none of them were Atlantean.

After a short pause Ruby added. "She's a jackass, coming here alone. Now she's caught in the web of the spider."

Elise shook her head. "Don't underestimate her. I hate to admit it, but she's smarter than she looks."

"Really?" Ruby took a closer look at her, when Anjelnin's eyes all of the sudden darted up and met hers.

Rain ran down her face and soaked her hair and clothes. She furrowed her brow and smirked, but when her glance fell on Elise her face was suddenly frowning.

"I take it she dislikes you?" Ruby commented on Anjelnin's reaction.

Elise's hand shot forward and grabbed her by the throat. "No." Ruby squirmed as her grip tightened. "She hates me. Just like you!"

Anjelnin's eyes locked on Ruby. She stepped forward, was kinda closing in on them.

"She's gonna come for you," Elise hissed. "She's protective. She'll step up for you and take you somewhere else with her. She doesn't know about you, so you know what to do now!" Elise's other hand closed around her throat and shut tight. Ruby tried to squirm free.

"Let go of me! LET GO!" she screamed. She looked at Anjelnin, begging her to help as she disappeared in a black cloud of smoke. Ruby's eyes widened.

The area around the cunning bridge all at once was wrapped in complete darkness.

"_Where did she go? What's happening here?" _Ruby's voice sounded strangely distorted. She couldn't see a thing and so couldn't Elise as Anjelnin stepped next to her and grabbed _her_ by the throat. Elise released Ruby immediately.

As she spoke, her voice was also strangely distorted, just like Ruby's before. She asked Anjelnin, _"And what are you gonna do with me now?"_

"I'll kill you..." Anjelnin said simple and cold. Her voice made Ruby's skin crawl. It wasn't human! It was kinda a deadly growl and Ruby knew that her every word was a promise. She felt a puff on her face as Anjelnin's hand shot up and hit Elise against the glass wall with such force it smashed a hole into it. She flung her away from her to the other end of the bridge and with a thud Elise's head met the door that was located there. A smile curled her lips. "…but not now."

Through the gaping hole in the wall shone dim light and illuminated the scene. Even though the walls were glass the light couldn't make its way through it, it just shone through the hole in the pane. It gleamed on Anjelnin's face, which was painted with black and white face paint. In the back Ruby could catch a glimpse of Elise lying in a puddle of blood, motionless.

Anjelnin stood there, pleased with what she'd done. She turned to Ruby. "Better let's get outta here, before she wakes up."

Ruby nodded and watched Anjelnin raising her hand to the heavens, moving it downwards. It seemed like she was cutting the air with her long nails and in fact a large cleft appeared in the mid air. Ruby stared into its blackness.

"Step through it," Anjelnin demanded and pointed at the cleft. She eyed Ruby who wasn't moving an inch and explained, "It's a portal. It'll bring you to one of our sacred places. There will be someone waiting for ya. You can't miss her, tall, dark blonde hair wearing blue jeans and a gray jacket. But I guess there won't be anyone around anyway. In fact, there never is..." She pointed at the portal again. "Now step through it…"

Ruby slowly walked towards it and stepped into the darkness. She heard Anjelnin's voice seeming to come from far away, "Keep walking until you see a light and walk into it!" She turned back and saw Anjelnin closing the portal behind her the same way she'd opened it and in front of her the light Anjelnin had been talking about appeared. She went into it and with a noise that sounded like a strong gust of wind Ruby found herself standing in a bright, mosaic windowed church. Someone came forward behind one of the marble pillars that were holding a balcony.

I went up to the woman that had just appeared in the middle of the hall of the church. She had come here by using one of Anjelnin's teleporting portals, like she'd told me.

I smiled at the red haired woman. She was tall, well at least for human rates. Actually she didn't even go to my chest. "Hiya!" I said and reached out my hand. "I'm Liathente. Who're you?"

The woman took it. Her breath suddenly came out as small clouds and her lips turned blue. She began to shiver. I released her hand immediately.

"I'm sorry," I apologized. "I forget we have that effect on people." I stepped a few paces back and she stopped shivering. I asked her once more, "So who are you?"

The red haired woman straightened up and answered, "I'm Ruby."

"Well, pleased to meet ya, Ruby." I chuckled.

Ruby looked confused and tensed. I didn't know what she expected me to do or say, but it was obvious that she didn't expect me to be polite. "Erm, pleased to meet you too, Li—" she couldn't pronounce my name.

I laughed, "You can call me Lia if you can't pronounce my full name." Ruby looked uneasy and I assured, "It's ok, really. Actually, I would have been surprised if you'd been able to pronounce it, seriously."

She squared her shoulders, "All right."

I raised my eyebrow. There was something about Ruby's attitude that told me that she was hiding something. I couldn't stop myself from walking back up to her and leaning forward. Ruby found herself staring into my eyes. She breathed in sharply and I assumed that I had moved way too fast. I hadn't just walked up to her, but kinda rushed. I had to remind me that normal people were much slower than we were. The ground under her was freezing now. She stepped one step backwards, and I stepped one more forward. It continued like that. Every time she lifted her foot from the ground the ice that had built up under it melted and ponded. The spot where her foot touched the ground again began to freeze. She was shaking, but not because of the temperature that had fallen several degrees, but rather because of what she was confronted with now. Her instinct had told her that I was looking right through her. In just one second I had analyzed her whole character and the way she felt just now. She was blocking, nervous, tense and fending, but also afraid.—she didn't know what was going on. Those feelings weren't strong; they only existed secondarily to something much more intense. There was fear and hatred burning deep inside her. They weren't directed at me. They were directed at someone else, someone who had done something terrible to her. My gaze became cold and my eyes bored deeper into hers. Ruby stopped stepping backwards, she couldn't move anymore. She was frozen.

Her eyes went wide as two long nailed hands grabbed her from behind. She had run directly into Anjelnin's arms as she had teleported into the hall.

My voice resounded from the walls loud and clear, _"Anjelnin, I need you to get us her memories. Make her show us what was done to her. She's hiding something from us. We can't risk making any more mistakes."_ I had spoken Atlantean, so Ruby wouldn't understand what I said. I shifted my eyes away and turned my back at her. She tried to free herself out of Anjelnin's grip at once.

"Stop it. You're just hurting yourself," I said to her and sighed. I walked over to Anjelnin who spun Ruby around and looked her in the face. I tapped her on the shoulder and reminded her, _"Go easy on her. I know you can't do it without hurting her, but try to make it as painless as possible."_

She didn't take her eyes off of Ruby's face as she answered. _"Yeah, I'll try."_

A sound like a gunshot went through the hall and everything turned pitch black. I let a light sphere appear on my hand. It was a bright fluorescent light that left behind no shadows. It flickered like a broken ceiling fitting in one of those horror movies. Anjelnin pushed Ruby to the floor. She crawled away from her and Anjelnin slowly followed, outstretching one arm.

"I'm really sorry for what's going to happen now, Ruby. But we have no other choice," I whispered, gazing down at her lying on the floor.

She stared at me; a terrified expression crossed her face. "What ya gonna do with me?" her voice was trembling.

"_I'm_ gonna have you show us what you're trying to hide so determined," Anjelnin replied and her hand snapped back.

Ruby was lifted into the air by an invisible force, surrounded by a strong dark red glow permeated by black lightning. "No, please! Those are my memories; you can't take them from me! I don't wanna go through it again! Please!" she panicked. The crackling of the electricity grew louder and the first black-red shimmering bolt struck into the ground below Ruby. I noticed the puddle of water and looked down at my feet. We were standing in it! A sharp pain shot through my body as the water conducted the electricity through me two times stronger than it would've been normal. Anjelnin flashed me a glance to check if I was ok. She had been hit too.

A second and a third bolt struck into the ceiling and one of the pillars. I tracked them drawing along the walls and diagonal through the hall. Ruby started to beg again.

"Please don't do this! I wanted to forget!" she screamed.

Voices began to grow louder. More thunderbolts struck into the ground and made the water under our feet boil. Steam rose to the ceiling. The lighting in the hall changed to dimly lit and the tiled floor we were standing on became concrete.

"There we go," Anjelnin commented and continued projecting Ruby's memories onto the surrounding area.

I looked around. We stood in some kind of maximum security prison and it looked like it was underground. There were no windows and only a few naked bulbs hanging from above. The ceiling was about twenty-three feet high and I assumed that this once had been a huge storeroom. It was completely empty now however, except for a wooden platform with a pole on it. They had converted the room for executions.

Tied up at the pole was a woman with short black hair, only in bra and panties. Ruby was standing at a distance held down by a soldier in black yellow uniform. A massive metal door on the long side of the room opened and more uniformed soldiers entered, followed by Elise who shut the door behind them and walked up to the woman standing tied up at the pole on the platform. Her eyes were chilly, and so was her voice as she spoke, "Never before has anyone failed so badly! You're convicted for something you haven't done! You're going to die for HER mistakes!" Elise made the black haired woman look at Ruby by taking her chin in her hand, pushing her head up and to the side. She wasn't wearing her usual colorful dresses, she wore a beige uniform. Her dark brown hair was pinned up. "Tell her that you hate her for having to die in this goddamn hellhole. Tell her that you hate her for being held responsible for something you haven't done!" she whispered into her ear and as the woman didn't react she commanded, "TELL HER! LET HER HEAR IT!"

The woman winced and did what Elise had told her to. Her blue eyes were blank, her voice filled with disgust, "Ruby you filthy little slut! I EXECRATE YOU! I'm going to be executed for something you did! I die for your mistakes! I hope you're happy now." She went on screaming, "You're a coward! You've always been one! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL THEM THE TRUTH?" The black haired woman lowered her voice to a deep growl. She had slight accent. "You betrayed me, Ruby. You've planted everything on me. EVERYTHING! You've chosen to sacrifice me to save your ass! Think about what that tells about you!"

"I'm SORRY! I SWAER I DIDN'T plant anything on you! Don't you see that she,"—Ruby pointed at Elise.—"is only trying to play us off against each other!"

Elise gave her an evil look and grinned. She paced over and stopped in front of Ruby, looking down on her. "You're right. It was all preplanned. I _want you_. I want to hold your life in my hands and this will hand it to me. After today you'll be _mine_!" her voice had taken on a possessive, daunting tone. "You'll follow my every order, every command no matter what I ask of you…" she said, a dictatorial smile on her face and turned around, stretching her arms widely. "Now let's end this misery!" Elise built up to her full size and ordered the firing squad, with an intense authority in her voice, "Get into position!"

5 soldiers in black uniforms with yellow badges and rifle stepped forward.

"Ready!"—The soldiers took their weapons.

"Aim!"—they aimed at the woman on the platform.

The black haired woman turned her head and spoke to Ruby, "Nie będę umierać bez dumy1! I'll die with my head held high!" she faced the soldiers. "I'll die knowing this cruel woman will break you!"

Elise smiled, "Yeah… and that's the only thing you're dying for tonight, so I can make her my new toy."

The final command came all of the sudden.

"_Fire!"_

"NO!" Ruby screamed.

The gunshots banged through the room and the bullets hit their target. Everything turned black.

Red lightning flashed through the black, flashed past Anjelnin and Ruby, let me catch a glimpse of her sitting sunken down on the floor, screaming and crying at the same time. Anjelnin was squatting in front of her with one hand placed on her shoulder. She was humming a song in Atlantean sounding like a creepy lullaby. I could hear everything, could hear the flow of the words that translated:

…_You're the one who's telling lies, born to be the sacrifice_

_Living for the punishment that'll push you to the edge_

_Now you're sitting on the floor, broken, sunken down and torn_

_Someone else's life was ended, only because you pretended…_

"Anjelnin!" I yelled. "Stop! You're only making it worse for her!"

Ruby was trembling now. Because Anjelnin was singing in Atlantean she could only catch the deeper meaning of the words; what Anjelnin wanted to intend with them, but not what she was actually saying.

I had nearly forgotten that we were still standing in the church. Ruby, still surrounded by a black glow, was sitting on the floor sunken down and crying, covering her face with her hands. Anjelnin was standing over her. I stepped up to them.

Anjelnin shook her head and explained, "There's more, but I couldn't get to the next memory. As you can clearly see, she broke down. I'll give her time to rest." She turned around and walked towards the entrance door and beckoned me to come with her. "We'll leave her for an hour. I need to show you something."

I looked at Ruby sitting on the floor.

"Stay here," I told her. "We'll secure the church. And should you try to get out, be warned: We will know when you do."

Ruby was breathing heavily and her eyes were filled with hate. She spoke to me, "I'll get her for this! I'll tear her apart myself!" Her glance fell on Anjelnin for a second.

Anjelnin stepped forward. "Oh will you?" she spat. "You won't even get me in your most vivid dreams!"

I kept looking at Ruby and there I understood what she had said. It wasn't Anjelnin she meant.

"Anjelnin," I grabbed her shoulder. "Think about what she said. She didn't mean you."

"Oh did she?"

"That's right!" Our heads turned to Ruby. She was standing up. "I want her dead, and I want to do it myself, no matter what it takes. She. Took. My. Friend. – And now I'll take her life in exchange for hers."

Anjelnin smiled. It was one of the smiles I knew too well. Ruby would get what she wanted so badly, I knew that. The look on Anjelnin's face told me she'd make it happen. "Right, so you want revenge, huh?"

"I do."

"Good thing," Anjelnin spoke. She held out her hand to Ruby who was standing approximately a foot away from us now. "I can make that happen. As chance would have it, Elise has something of ours as well. It's territory."

"You think you can work with us?"

"I'd work with anyone to get what I want."

"Well if that's so…" Anjelnin paused and looked at me. "We'll make you one of us."

I said, "Ask her first. She won't be the same after she's been changed."

Ruby's turned suspicious. "What do you mean?"

"You said you'd work with anyone. What if those anyone's required you to become something else in order to work with them and get your revenge?" Anjelnin's eyes bored into hers.

"I don't understand what you mean."

I smiled and asked Ruby, "Haven't you noticed that we're _different_?"

"Of course I have! She made me see my nightmares! I don't know what you are but it doesn't matter." Ruby paused for a second. "So you want me to become different too?"

"Yes." Anjelnin said. "You will need to."

"Tell me Ruby, have you ever noticed that Elise is different too?" I asked.

"Apart from that she's abnormally cruel and tall and strong. No."

I looked at Anjelnin, "She's hiding it, Anjelnin. She pretends to be one of them so she can keep their trust. They don't' believe in us. They don't' want us to be real."

"I don't get what you're talking about. What's different about Elise…" Ruby asked.

"She doesn't know," Anjelnin stated.

"What do I not know?"

"What we are." I said.

"I do! You're freaks with strange powers. Probably injected with some drug that gives you those powers."

Anjelnin laughed. "So these days they're calling us freaks and druggies!" She stared at Ruby. "So want to become a freak and a druggie too?"

"I don't know…" Ruby was insecure all of a sudden. "Will it make me addicted?"

Anjelnin laughed harder. "No." She became serious again. "We're not under drugs, neither are we freaks, Ruby."

"We're Atlantean's. We're what they used to call 'gods' long ago."

Now it was Ruby's turn to laugh. "You want me to believe that crap? Gods only exist in fairytales! If you're gods you must be thousands if years old."

"We are and yes we want you to believe that crap. So now do you want to work with us or not?"

"Fine, I'm ready to become a freak," Ruby snorted. "So I'll live a thousand years too I guess?"

"Not if we kill you within your normal life span," Anjelnin said in a low voice.

"You won't age and you cannot die by the hand of men," I told Ruby.

"Yeah yeah, sure." Ruby replied.

"Okay that's it." Anjelnin exclaimed. "She won't believe until she's one of us." Her eyes fixed Ruby. "Wait here. We'll be back in half an hour!"

"Fine." She leaned against a nearby pillar and waited.

We came back with a camp cot and a syringe for Ruby.

She eyed the syringe and made a grimace. Then said, "I knew it, druggies!"

"That's not for injecting drugs!" Anjelnin hissed.

"So what is it for then?"

"You'll see in a second." She set up the camp cot and told her to sit down.

Ruby sat.

"You ready?" Anjelnin asked.

"Yeah."

"Good then give me your arm!"

Ruby rolled up the sleeve of her shirt and stretched out her arm in front of her. Anjelnin took the syringe and stung the needle into one of Ruby's veins.

"It's empty!" Ruby noticed.

"Not for long." Anjelnin smiled and pulled the plunger up until a third of the barrel was filled with Ruby's blood. She pulled out the needle again and put it to her arm.

"What-?" Ruby started but didn't get to speak out her question as Anjelnin pulled the barrel up and added another third of blood to the barrel. Ruby stared.

I stretched my arm towards Anjelnin and the rest of the barrel was filled with my blood.

Anjelnin looked at the all the way with blood filled syringe then looked at Ruby. She gently shook the syringe. "That needs to get back into your body." She grabbed Ruby's wrist.

Ruby wanted to pull her arm back. "What? That's nuts! I could get deadly sick from that!"

Anjelnin grabbed her tighter. "You won't! Now do you want to get your revenge or not?"

"Of course I do but what the fuck, that's insane!"

"It's ok you won't get harmed, I promise." I tired to sooth Ruby.

She pressed her lips together and turned her head away from her arm. "All right, do it! But be careful."

Anjelnin slowly injected the needle into Ruby's arm and ordered. "Look into my eyes!"

Ruby obeyed. Anjelnin slowly pushed the plunger down a bit. Ruby's pupils widened. Anjelnin watched her closely and said, "It might burn and give you heart racing now." She kept pushing the plunger down further, slow and steady. One third was gone. Ruby clenched her fists and tried not to whimper. Her body felt like it was burning from inside. It hurt. Anjelnin kept pushing the plunger down. Almost the second third was gone.

"It hurts," Ruby whispered. Her voice was shaking.

Anjelnin stopped injecting for a second and said, "The last bit is the worst. Better brace yourself."

She did. "Okay go on. Make it fast."

Anjelnin pushed the plunger all the way down until the syringe was empty. Ruby's eyes contracted. She panted. Then screamed.

Anjelnin quickly pulled out the needle of Ruby's arm and drew back. Ruby was shaking all over and curled up on the camp cot. Her screams became piercing.

"What have you done to me?"

"Take off your shirt!" Anjelnin ordered sharply.

"What?"

"Do it! Don't argue! And turn your back to us!"

Ruby did. Out of her shoulder blades were growing wings. The same wings Anjelnin, Natla and I had. Only that hers were red like her hair. Ruby panicked. "Make it stop! Make it stop!"

"We can't."

Ruby screamed again. Now her whole body began to grow. She kept screaming.

Anjelnin and I watched the rest of the transformation without saying a word.

When Ruby finally stopped screaming and shaking all over I went up to Ruby lying on the cot. "Try to sit up."

She sat up and looked over her shoulder at her wings. "What have you done to me? This can't be real. You don't have wings why do I?"

I smiled. "Oh we do. We just hide them." I unconcealed my wings and stretched them to the limit. "See?"

"Why didn't you tell me about that?" Ruby asked.

Anjelnin answered her, "If we had you wouldn't have let us change you. It's as simple as that. Besides, as human you wouldn't stand a chance against Elise, leave alone kill her, since she's on of us. She hides what she is as well as we do."

"So do I have some kind of power now too? Like you guys have?" Ruby asked.

I answered her this time, "You do. But you'll have to figure out what it is for yourself. It'll show after a day and you'll know what it is. If you do we want you to tell us." I didn't tell her that we would find out what it is anyway even if she didn't tell us. "You may develop more than one power. Like Anjelnin."

"It can be based on anything. It usually bases on something that you've already had before you were changed that can now grow to its full potential. It's all about what you have experienced in life before. I can figure what it will be. Liathente can too. So now I ask you. Do you know what it could be?"

Ruby shook her head.

"Well we'll see if we were right tomorrow," Anjelnin said. "I think it's something mind based." That's all she mentioned.

"Okay."

"Anjelnin, get her something to wear, if you'd be so kind."

Anjelnin disappeared in a black cloud of smoke and appeared again seconds later. She handed Ruby a red sweater.

"How am I supposed to get that on?" Ruby asked.

"Conceal your wings." I answered. "Fold them together flat onto your back and they'll disappear."

She did and they were gone. Hidden under her shirt.

"You just stretch them out again if you want to fly. And don't worry about the shirt. It has two holes in the back."

"Won't that look strange if I walk around with a sweater with holes in the back?" she asked.

"No. The sweater matches the color of your wings. The holes aren't visible. That's why I only wear gray shirts and Anjelnin is always in black." I explained.

"Okay…" Ruby still didn't know what to make of what just happened.

"You want to wait here while Anjelnin and I are going to get you a new pair of jeans as well?" I asked her and pointed at Ruby's now way too short jeans. "You're safe as long as you're here."

"Safe?" Ruby asked. "What could stop me now? I can't die anymore."

"Wrong," Anjelnin corrected her. "You can die. Just not as easily as humans."

"Fine. I'll wait here."

I smiled, "Well then. We see you later." Anjelnin and I had almost reached the entrance door when I turned around again. "Oh and Ruby, don't try to fly while we're not there. That could have fatal consequences."

"Ok." She curled up on the cam cot. "I'll just rest then."

Anjelnin stepped outside. I followed her.

The church was located on a hill at the outskirts of the city. It was quiet. No one apart from Anjelnin and I came here. Not even Natla visited the place often; she only came when absolutely necessary.

"So I guess you have something planned for her, don't you?" I asked Anjelnin as I walked beside her. The clothes store was not far from here. We would reach it within 15 minutes of walking.

"You're right," Anjelnin said. She was smiling with a hint of spite. "You saw how much she hates Elise. I'm downright willing to give her what she wants. She can go kill her off. I don't care. That's one problem we don't have to bother with anymore. She's doing us a great favor. We have enough problems weighting on our shoulders."

"Yeah, I guess you're right…" for some reason I wasn't convinced. I didn't really think she'd be able to take Elise out on her own. She didn't have the experience we had. Experience of centuries of fighting her. Ruby didn't know what she was dealing with.

Anjelnin studied my face. "You look concerned," she stated.

I told her what I had thought.

"Ah. I knew you'd think that. But trust me, there's something about Ruby that makes me sure that she can pull it off herself. You don't know what hatred can make you do Lia. You never really hated anyone truly."

"Yes, I guess you're right." I smiled. "It's not my nature to hate." I thought of something and started to laugh.

"What's so funny?"

"Isn't that ironic? They say you're the evil one, because you hate. But you only hate who deserves it. Me on the other hand… I am unable to hate even the worst of people and killers, because I can see even the tiniest part of good in people. I'd give the most brutal killer a second chance, let him live and run off. He does the same again and goes to kill again. Now think of it. Doesn't that make me bad in a way too?"

Anjelnin thought of it. She chuckled, "Yeah, maybe it makes you bad a little too."

We kept walking the rest to the store in silence. When we arrived there and got in, no one was there. The only person was one of the staff standing behind the counter, reading a magazine. It was a woman around the age of 30. She wasn't wearing any makeup and had a nice tan. I figured she must be from the south. She looked up from her magazine and asked, "Can I help you?"

Anjelnin replied, "No thanks. We're fine."

The woman lowered her eyes to her magazine again.

We looked through the shelves with jeans and Anjelnin pulled out a few different sizes. She asked me, holding a tight fitted one up, "You think that'll fit her? She seemed to be as tall as you, but thicker."

"I don't know. Go with my length and add one or 2 sizes to the width," I suggested. "If all else fails take 3 different sizes. I'm sure one will fit."

"Okay." Anjelnin took 3 jeans and went to the counter, placing them on there.

The woman looked up from her magazine again. "Are you sure I can't help you?" she asked friendly.

Anjelnin started to negate, but I cut her off before she could finish. "Yes you actually can."

I smiled. "We are searching for a fitting pair of jeans for a friend. She couldn't come with us because she's currently at the hospital. She grew a lot in the last few weeks and we're not sure what will fit her now." I pointed at myself. "She's about my size, but thicker. Do you think you can find us some that could fit?"

The woman stood up and said, "I'll be right back. I'm sure we have something. Wait here."

And so we waited. About 3 minutes later the woman came back with 5 pair of jeans and handed them us. She said, "These should fit. You can bring the ones that don't fit back and we're giving you a refund."

"That's wonderful, thank you so much!" I said.

"You're welcome." The woman typed in the prices on a calculator and continued, "That would be 80 bucks."

Anjelnin leaned forward over the counter as if she'd not heard her. "Excuse me?"  
The woman looked up at Anjelnin. "Eighty dolla-," she didn't get to finish. Her eyes went blank.

"You will forget that we were here," Anjelnin whispered. Her eyes were glowing dimly, as if a candle was burning in their depts. "You were reading your magazine all this time and you went to the back of the store to put some jeans away."

The woman looked at the 3 jeans Anjelnin had placed on the counter before and mechanically started taking them to put them in the back of the store.

Anjelnin smirked, grabbed me and walked off back to the church.

"That wasn't fair," I criticized her. "She was so nice to us."

"I know. But 80 dollar worth of jeans isn't worth it, even if she was nice."

I shrugged. "Whatever."

We arrived back at the church and pushed the door open.

"She's… not here."

Anjelnin and I stared at each other.

"I'll look in the back of church." I said and walked off.

There was a single room in the back of the church where people could come and pray or leave offerings. And that was where Ruby was.

When I entered the room she pointed at a large painting of me and Anjelnin standing in front of a port. She asked, "Is that really you guys?" She paused. Anjelnin and I were wearing old fashioned dresses. "When… was that?" She seemed intimidated all of a sudden.

I smiled. "That was 1630 if I remember correctly. A French painter drew that one for us when he returned to tour through Rome for a while."

"So that's really Rome on the right side there?" she was impressed.

"Yes it is."

Ruby thought for a moment and then noted, "You look different there. Your hair's short now." She pointed at Anjelnin. "Hers too. I… uhm, what was her name again?"

"Anjelnin," the voice came from behind.

Ruby winced and spun around to face her. She had been standing there for quite a while now.

Anjelnin chuckled. "Did I scare you?" she asked, innocent and raised her eyebrow.

"You did," Ruby tried to catch her breath. She stepped back, withdrew from Anjelnin.

"Can you say that?" Anjelnin asked her, staying where she was.

"What?" Ruby was confused. She couldn't think. Something about the black haired woman had changed after she had heard her name. But as fast as it had changed it was back to normal again.

"My name," Anjelnin said. "Can you say it now?" She smiled. "Lia told me that you couldn't speak out her name when you were human."

"I don't know. Your names are weird."

"Only to you," I stated.

"Say my name," Anjelnin urged Ruby. Her smile grew wider.

"Uhm okay… say it again first so I don't pronounce it wrong or anything."

"Anjelnin," while still speaking she took a step towards Ruby. It looked almost like she was threatening her.

Ruby gasped for air and her eyes widened. _"Oh my go-,"_ her voice cracked.

"Is there something wrong?" Anjelnin asked.

Ruby shook her head and shivered. She stared at the ground. "Your name… I can _see_ what it means." She shook again. "When you say it… you change… and I feel hopeless, left in the dark, all alone and blinded by fear." She didn't stop shaking when she continued. "Your eyes go black and empty. It's like staring into an abyss that's never ends. And if I look too long, I fear I'll drown."

"You won't, I promise," it was the first time Anjelnin's voice was soft in Ruby's presence. "I won't hurt you if you don't hurt me…" she paused for but a second and glanced at me. "or Liathente."

"All right…"

"Now, say my name," Anjelnin repeated.

"I-," Ruby stuttered. "I don't want to feel like that again."

"Don't be afraid. Speak it out." Anjelnin's tone changed, it was low now. "Speak out what you fear." She grabbed Ruby's shoulders. "Is it _me_ you fear? Or is it only my name?"

Ruby looked up at her again. Anjelnin's eyes were normal again, and full of life.

"I don't know. I think it's both…" Ruby wanted to withdraw from her again. Anjelnin let her.

"Say my name, Ruby," she said.

I saw Anjelnin lift her hand behind her back. I knew what would happen eventually. I got ready.

Ruby took a deep breath. She opened her mouth and her shaking voice spoke, _"Anjelnin."_

The room went pitch black. And the other second it was dimly lit again by a single sphere of light I was holding in my hand.

Ruby didn't say a word.

"You're all right?" Anjelnin asked, but she knew she was fine.

Ruby nodded and kept staring at me. "Your name…" she began to understand. "Means light?"

"It's one of its meanings," I told her.

She looked at Anjelnin again. "So you're darkness?"

"As well as: Terror, hopelessness, fear and nightmare. Yes," she said.

"Do your names make you this?" Ruby asked.

"No," I said. "We were named after who and how we are."

"And the other meanings of your name?"

"Hope, comfort, faith," I listed.

"You're total opposites," Ruby exclaimed.

"Yes," Anjelnin laughed. "And they attract."

"Indeed," I agreed.

Anjelnin lowered her hand again and the room turned back to normal. The light on my hand disappeared.

"Come," Anjelnin beckoned Ruby to follow her. "We brought you some jeans to try on. I hope one fits at least."

"Okay." Ruby and I followed her.

On the camp cot lay the five jeans we had brought from the store. Ruby eyed them and looked down at her too small jeans she was wearing.

Picking one jeans up after the other she went, "This is too small. Too big. Too long. Should fit. Too short." She held up the jeans she had said 'should fit'.

"You haven't even tried them on, how can you know if they fit you now or not," Anjelnin asked in disbelieve.

All she got as answer was, "I know."

And Ruby really did know. She put on the jeans and it fit. "One size wider and two longer," she noted.

"Well, I guess we should bring back the others again," I suggested.

"Do you remember I made her forget we were there?"

"You did what?" Ruby was shocked.

"You heard right."

Ruby stared.

"She wanted 80 bucks," Anjelnin defended herself. She hissed, "Stop staring at me like I'm a villain!"

Ruby and I laughed.

Anjelnin grumbled something incomprehensible.

I shook my head. "Let's just sneak back in at night. No one will notice."

"Fine."

"You want to come with us to bring them back later?" I asked Ruby.

She shrugged. "Well ok."

"Good."

"So what now?" Anjelnin started to walk up and down the hall impatiently. "She needs to learn what we had centuries for in a very short time." She stopped and turned to Ruby again, her forehead in wrinkles as she thought. "Where to start," she mumbled. She slipped down on a nearby column and sat with her legs crossed.

"Help me Lia," she said. "What did I teach you first?"

I thought for a moment. "I think it was dodging attacks and stuff."

Anjelnin looked up at me. "Yeah that's right… but you already knew how to fly didn't you."

"I did. We didn't have to learn… we were born this way."

"Fine," Anjelnin stood up again and walked to Ruby. "Flight lesson," she said. "Get up."

Ruby seemed excited. She got up and giggled.

"First you need to learn how to stretch your wings without snagging on your shirt and ripping it."

"Okay."

Anjelnin turned around and said, "We always wear sweaters that are oversized, so that the two holes in the back are large enough to make out wings fit through."

Ruby looked at the sweater. Two large holes went from the collar of it down the whole back to almost the bottom of the sweater. The wing membrane that was underneath the sweater made it look like it had been torn on purpose and sewed back shut with 2 large patches.

She slowly began to unfold her wings, first bending them in a strange angle so they would fit through and then completely stretching them until they were over the sweater.

"You saw how I did it?" she asked Ruby. "It's just 2 simple movements. First you bend the whole wing inwards, then stretch it out. It's almost like what you do with your arms when you put on a shirt. Turn around and try it. I'll help you if you get stuck on the shirt."

Ruby turned and tried to bend her wings the way Anjelnin had.

"You're tensing the wrong muscles," Anjelnin said. She put her finger between Ruby's shoulder blades and pressed. "This is the muscle you need to tense so they'll bend inwards."

"Like that?" Ruby asked and managed to do the same movement.

"Right." Anjelnin stepped back again. "Now stretch them. Slowly."

Ruby did and looked at her outstretched wings. She held them at a strange angle.

Anjelnin and I chuckled.

"It looks funny," I said. "Don't you have any body tension? Straighten up a little."

She tried and failed.

I shook my head. "Lift them. As if you would if you wanted to reach something on the top of a shelf."

That worked.

"Good," Anjelnin said. "Not fold them again on your back."

"Under the shirt?" Ruby questioned.

"Yes."

She did.

"Good, now stretch them again."

She did as she was told again.

I smiled. "Now lift them again and then push them down with all your might as if you wanted to push away the air underneath the flat of your wings."

Ruby pushed her wings down and soared above the ground for a second. She looked like she had jumped into the air.

"Good," Anjelnin complimented her.

"I'm sure I look so silly to you guys right now," Ruby was embarrassed.

"You don't," I assured her. "It looks a bit funny that's true, but that's nothing you should be embarrassed about."

"Now try again. And this time, when you pushed them down, lift them right back up and push down again. Make sure to keep your body tense when you do. Don't stop until we tell you to."

Ruby did and lifted herself into the air by flapping her wings.

"If you don't want to go up any higher you have to flap your wings diagonally," I called up to her. She had nearly reached the ceiling now.

"How's diagonal?" Ruby called back down, there was a slight amount of panic in her voice.

I stretched my wings and showed her.

Instead of flapping the way I had shown her she pushed her wings horizontal and was thrown backwards. She stopped flapping her wings out of shock and fell. She didn't even have time to scream.

I caught her in mid air, half the way from the ceiling to the floor and said, "Don't you ever stop flapping your wings, ok?" I set her down on the floor gently. "Try again. Flap vertical twice to gain height and then you continue to flap your wings diagonal like I showed you to keep the height."

She tried again and soared two feet above the ground.

"That's good. Now come back down!" Anjelnin called.

"How?"

"Just flap slower."

Ruby landed on the floor again and smiled. "It's exciting," she said. "Now how do I actually fly instead of just soar above the ground like that?"

"Well that's more complex." Anjelnin began to explain to her how she'd manage to go from soaring to actually moving through the air and showed her a few maneuvers.

We ended up practicing with Ruby all day and when the sun went down she had become pretty good at the basics already.

She sat down on the camp cot and Anjelnin decided, "We'll name you."

Ruby looked baffled. "What?"

"We will name you in our language, Ruby," Anjelnin repeated. "We'll watch you and tell you what you're called when we know it."

"When you know it? You… that sounds like it's a process. Can't you just give me a name now?" she asked.

"We can't," I told her. "We have to know who you are before we know what your name is. You don't know our language, so I doubt you will understand if we tried to explain how it works. But know this; your name is nothing that's given to you like the one your mother chooses to give you. Your name is part of your being and you'll know when you have found yours, because when you speak it out the same will happen that happened when you heard Anjelnin speak out hers in the back of the church." I paused and went on, "It only happens when you yourself speak out your name, not when someone else says it."

Ruby nodded again, she seemed to have understood. "So you're going to tell me my name and if I speak it out and nothing happens then it's not my true name?"

"That's right," Anjelnin replied. "But I doubt that we will get your name wrong. We had centuries to study people."

"Okay." She thought for a second and asked, "Where do you guys live?"

Anjelnin laughed, "We don't sleep in the church, no. We live in a house like everyone else. What did you think?"

"I don't know. I just know that I have lived in the slums for as long as I can think, before Elise picked me up to work for her one day. From there on I had lived in an apartment near her facility."

Anjelnin hissed, when she heard Elise's name. "That woman! She took our facility and claimed it was hers!"

"Anjelnin," I warned her. "Don't."

She looked at me but kept quiet. I said, "We live in a house located at the very border of this city."

"You really live together?" Ruby asked. A strange look on her face. She had expected something else.

"Is that a problem?" Anjelnin's voice had become dangerous.

"No," Ruby said quickly. "I just didn't expect it." She paused and looked at us. "Are you um…" she didn't have the courage to ask. She bit her lip.

"Are we, what?" I smiled.

"Are you," Ruby's voice dropped to almost a whisper. "Lovers?"

"It took you that long to realize?" Anjelnin asked. "We are."

"For how long have you been?"

I thought. "Over 3 millennia."

"You're _that_ old?" Ruby couldn't believe it.

I laughed, "We sure are."

"Is it different from human love?" Ruby wanted to know.

"Yes," Anjelnin answered. "Very different. But only if you talk about people who have a new boy or girlfriend all the time. There are some human couples we've seen that love like us… well at least it is as strong as ours, rated in human measures."

"So how is it different?" Ruby asked again.

"When you find the person you'll fall in love with you'll get some kind of glimpse of the future. It's different from person to person what you see. Me for instance, I knew that she would become my girlfriend. While Liathente saw herself visit me. We lived far away from each other at that time. Further away from each other than you can imagine. Later she had a vision of us kissing."

"Our love develops over time. It can take centuries until your feelings grow from friendship to love. Unlike with most people, this love doesn't fade over time. It grows stronger with everything you go through together. It feels like the other person is a part of you, which she is for real. When you kiss for the first time… how can I put it? A part of your soul is breathed into the person you love, while your love breaths a part of herself into you. It's really personal. It's like melting into one piece for a while and when you release her again it feels like you're carrying a part of her around everywhere you go." Anjelnin grew quiet for a moment and then continued, "And if the other person should ever die… it'll feel like a part of yourself died with her." She shuddered at the thought. "And the worst is… the part within yourself you were carrying around with you all this time… it leaves an empty hole in your chest. You can't live without her. If you're not strong enough… you'll kill yourself because the pain's too great…" Anjelnin swallowed. "She can entrust you with her final wish when taking her last breath… if she does… you can decide if you can take the pain to walk on earth for longer to grant her that wish… or if you can't and die… depending on the wish… you sometimes have to take the pain and live…" She looked at Liathente and sighed.

Ruby had listened fascinated the whole time. "That's impressive," she said. "Is it always same gender love?"

Anjelnin laughed, "How do you think our population could grow if it was? No. We're the minority."

"Ah, okay," Ruby giggled.

We kept talking the rest of the evening, about all kind of things. Until I noted, "Didn't we want to bring back the jeans to the store?"

Anjelnin snorted, "Oh do we really? I'm actually too lazy to bring them back right now."

I shook my head. "Fine, then we won't. But I don't want to have my face in the news paper with the headline 'Shoplifer' on the front page tomorrow."

Anjelnin rolled her eyes. "Okay, we'll bring them back." She got up. She turned to Ruby, "You said you wanted to come with us?"

"Yeah," she answered.

"Good. It's won't talk long anyway. It's not far."

We exited the church and a cool breeze brushed over them. It was pitch dark outside already.

"I can see everything," Ruby was surprised. "I feel like a cat."

"Yeah, it's one of the traits that have been passed on for generations," I told her. "There are a few more, but you'll find out about them soon enough."

Ruby was grinning over both ears. "That's so cool. I'm awed!"

Anjelnin chuckled. "Your sight isn't by far as good as ours and you're already awed? You'd drop dead if you could see as much as me."

"Back when you took me from Elise," Ruby started. "You could still see after the bridge went pitch black?"

"Yes. And I know that only I can. Elise was as blind as you back there."

"Why didn't you just kill her?"

"My number one priority was to get you away from her," Anjelnin glanced at Ruby.

"Why… did you take me?"

"You hated her as much as I do, I could sense it," Anjelnin explained.

"You can sense hate?"

"If it's strong enough. And trust me yours was hitting me like a deadly wall of fire."

Ruby was quiet.

"What's eating you?" Anjelnin asked after a short while.

"I'm not sure… I- I-," Ruby couldn't get her thoughts together.

I knew what troubled her. "Don't think like you owe us anything," I said. "You don't. You're doing us a great favor actually."

"I am?"

"Yes." I smiled, "We have like a million other problems along with dealing with Elise."

"Like?"

"Do you know Natla? Tall woman with long blonde hair?"

"Yeah, Elise kept ranting about how much she wanted her to leave this world forever."

"We take orders from her," Anjelnin stated.

Ruby stopped walking suddenly. "I'm the enemy," her voice was emotionless. "She'll try to get rid of me!"

"She won't. We'll take care of that," Anjelnin assured.

I turned around to Ruby and asked, "Do you trust us?"

"Of course I do!"

"Good," I looked at her. "Then you have nothing to worry about. You're safe."

Ruby caught up with us again. "If you say that, then I'll believe you."

Anjelnin walked to Ruby's right and put her arm around Ruby's shoulder. I did the same walking to Ruby's left. I was sure that moment we looked like a teenage group of friends to everyone else.

We snuck into the store and put the jeans away. When we were done, Ruby asked, "Am I going to sleep in the church?"

I laughed, "Of course not! You're coming to our place."

We snuck into the store and put the jeans away. When we were done, Ruby asked, "Am I going to sleep in the church again?"

I laughed, "Of course not! You're coming to our place."

"To your place?" Ruby was surprised. "You're seriously inviting me to your place?"

"Of course! Who do you think we are? You're more than welcome at our home," Anjelnin smiled. It was unusual that she was behaving so calm and natural in the presence of someone other than Liathente; she disliked most people and was more than often to scold and glare at them. Doing that she scared them off. Ruby though, didn't seem bothered as much as other people anymore.

Ruby, even though she smiled, looked away. She wasn't able to bear Anjelnin's piercing gaze this time. She spoke, "It makes me feel like an intruder. As if I'm invasive."

Anjelnin threw her hands up in horror and exclaimed, "My god! You're worse than Lia! You worry too much." She patted Ruby's back and continued, "Just take it as a given that we're taking care of you now, ok?"

"And don't think that you owe us anything! Because you don't," Lia added.

"Fine," Ruby said. "But do you even have enough room for me?"

"Oh, trust me we have more than enough room." It was Anjelnin who had spoken again.

1 (Polish) I won't die without pride!


	6. Scene 4 continued

**Scene 4 continued**

"I'm going to tell Natla now," Anjelnin said and with a flick of her hand the air in front of her tore open.

"Make sure you're safe ok?" Ruby looked concerned. "I don't want you guys to get in trouble because of me…"

"We won't," I assured her.

Anjelnin stepped towards the black portal she had created. Ruby grabbed her arm and her voice was filled with worry as she said, "If anything happens to you I'll never forgive myself… So please, get back in one piece."

Anjelnin turned and looked at Ruby with her eyebrow raised. "Are you getting attached to me?" She smiled, but her voice had an undertone Ruby couldn't tell for some reason. "I can either be your best friend or your worst enemy…"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ruby wanted to know.

"It means that when I come back I might not be who you think I am anymore," Anjelnin stated.

"Why? That's not making any sense!" She looked at me for help. "Don't let her leave!" she cried at me.

My response was a weak smile and a whispered, "I can't stop her."

Anjelnin turned back to the portal again. "I'll be back soon," she said and disappeared into the dark nothingness.

Ruby stood and stared at the now empty space. "I can't believe she went…" She turned at me, "What did she mean by 'she might not be who I know' when she comes gets back?"

I was uneasy answering Ruby's question. "Well, you know Natla has a very 'rough' approach on making people do what she wants…" I sighed. "She won't hurt her physical… but psychical. She has bent Anjelnin to her will before…" I looked into the distance. "Last time I nearly got killed… Anjelnin managed to break free last second and disobey, The price for that however. It was greater than anything I could ever have thought of. Anjelnin had to make me forget that she existed… She had moved far away, and I… I had lived for over 18 centuries with a feeling that something wasn't right… that something was 'missing' in my life. So I went to search for that missing, even though I had no idea where to start. I knew deep down, that it was a person I was searching for. I told you how deep the bond that connects us runs. Even if Anjelnin made me forget like she did. I'd always know that something wasn't right. And Anjelnin, she knew that too… Then in the end I found her again. And now you see where we are now." I looked at Ruby again. "When she comes back later tonight you might be in danger."

Ruby tensed, "How so?"

I made a face and told her, "She might just be really mean and scare you. If all else fails she might try to punch you. Just be really careful with what you say later. Her hand accidentally slips if you say something she doesn't want to hear."

"Okay…"

We walked the rest of the way back to the port in silence. We were in Rome at the moment. Anjelnin had taken us there because Ruby had wanted to see the sea port in the painting of us.

"It looks different now," Ruby stated. "Not like in the painting."

"Yeah I know," I said. "Do you think it looked nicer back then?"

"I'm not sure," Ruby admitted. "It has its own air these days too, but somehow I liked the port in the painting better. It had something mystic about it that's gone now."

I smiled, "Yeah, you're right." I tried to picture Ruby in 1603, what she'd looked like if she'd already lived back then.

"Do you know what they'd done if you'd lived in the 16th century?" I asked her.

Ruby raised her eyebrow an asked, "Another fox and no gun?"

I laughed, "Where did you get that one from?"

"My grandpa," Ruby replied. "But it's true isn't it?"

"Yes, you'd have been killed. Just because you have red hair… People back then would've thought you're a witch."

"People were assholes."

"Exactly," I agreed. "Actually they still are."

Ruby gazed into the distance and I knew she was thinking that had happened to her a long time ago.

I decided to ask her about it.

Ruby shook her head and said, "I'd rather not talk about it."

"Ok," that was fine with me.

"Where are we going now?" Ruby asked. It was obvious that she wanted to change the subject.

"We can head back to the hotel if you want," I suggested.

"Can we get something to eat before we head back?" she asked.

"Of course," I laughed. "What would you like to pick up at the store?"

"We could get the ingredients for a nice soup," she said.

"Soup? You're kidding me!"

"Why?" Ruby was confused. "What's wrong with soup?"

"You know you can get 'whatever' you want and you're like 'Soup.'," I was roaring with laughter now. "Ruby you're hilarious!"

"You think so? But it's really good! I haven't had it in ages!"

"Well fine, we'll cook your soup today. And tomorrow I'll show you some 'real' food!"

"So you're not considering soup as food?" she laughed.

"Nope!"

"Then what category do you put it in?"

"Soup?"

"No seriously now," Ruby said.

"I am," I told her. "It's not food to me. You don't have to chew or anything, so I'll just say it's edible but not 'food' like as in 'breakfast,' 'lunch' or 'dinner'."

Ruby stared at me. "You're impossible!" she exclaimed.

"I know," I smiled. "Now let's get going!"

Ruby nodded in excitement and followed me.

The blond haired woman stood in the living room waiting for Anjelnin to arrive. The black haired woman entered the room without knocking on the door first.

"So what is it this time Anjelnin?" she asked her coldly.

"We have a newcomer in our league," Anjelnin told her.

"Meaning what?" Natla wasn't interested in the news at all.

"Newborn Atlantean," she stated.

"So what?" Natla hissed. "People get born every day!" Her eyes narrowed. She began to realize what Anjelnin had meant. She wouldn't have addressed I in the first place if… "No," Natla's voice became a frightening melody. She was speaking Atlantean now. "You CHANGED a HUMAN? How 'dare' you do that to our race! We wanted to stay 'clean'!" She turned and spoke with her back to Anjelnin. It was clear that she wanted her to leave after she finished speaking, "Get rid of her. I don't even want to know why you changed her in the first place. Now get out!"

Anjelnin stood where she was not moving and inch.

"You will 'have to' listen to me!" her voice rose.

Natla's hand shot out of nowhere and sent her tumbling backwards. "I do NOT have to listen to ANYTHING!" Natla was fuming now. "You will listen to me now. When I say 'get rid of her' you WILL get rid of her, is that understood?"

"She can get rid of Elise!" Anjelnin shouted at Natla.

Natla froze and turned back to look into Anjelnin's piercing green eyes.

"Say that again," she breathed.

"She can get rid of Elise for us," Anjelnin repeated.

Natla sneered, "No human could ever do that. Not even after she's been changed."

"She has potential," Anjelnin assured her. "She 'hates'. She hates her more than you could ever."

"No." Natla thought for a minute, then said, "All right, I can see why you changed her then… Use her, and after she's done your job - get rid of her.

"It's a pity I won't get to feel her writhing under your fingers as she dies though."

Anjelnin tensed.

Natla noticed. She leered and spoke, "I love it when you kill. Every fiber of your being is electrified and you feel like you're intoxicated. You're like a shark in bloodthirstiness. The first taste of spilled blood and you cannot stop anymore."

"I hate it when you do that…" Anjelnin said. "I sometimes can't tell apart if it's my excitement and lust, or if it's yours I'm feeling… Having you in the back of my head feeling what I feel, seeing and sensing what I sense when I enter that intoxication… it feels wrong." She paused for a second. "I hate the connection we share."

Natla sneered, "You once 'admired' me, remember?"

"And I still do," Anjelnin said. "Just in a different way."

"Do you now?"

"That's right," she was defensive now.

"Fine!" Natla barked. "Then go now!"

Anjelnin turned to leave.

"Anjelnin?"

"Yes?"

"If she should prove herself to be a 'failure'," she made an ominous pause before she continued speaking, "Then I'll personally hold you responsible… and punish you in the worst way you can think of."

Anjelnin nodded. She had understood. 'Lia… I won't fail you… Not ever again…'

Natla smiled viciously. Anjelnin knew she had read her thoughts right off her face.

Natla left the room without speaking another word.

Anjelnin raised her hand and teleported back to the hotel.

"I can't believe she said that!" Ruby cried.

I sighed, "Didn't I tell you Natla is outright 'evil'?"

"No," Ruby was almost pissed.

"Well then, now you know," Anjelnin hissed. She'd been in a really bad mood all night since she came back.

We were sitting in the kitchen eating dinner, which was in fact the soup Ruby and I had made earlier.

"Am I only surrounded by people who're downright mean, hate-filled and willing to kill?"

Anjelnin snapped at her, "Make up your mind! You're the same as me and Natla! You're hate-filled AND willing to kill!"

"But I have a reason!"

Anjelnin rose from her seat as she shouted, her hand grabbing Ruby's collar and lifting her from the chair pulling her closer to her own face, "Do you think I kill because it's fun? I HAVE TO!"

"Anjelnin!" I stood up and approached her. "Please, let her go."

Her eyes shot to me. She growled, "Stay back! I want to make this clear!"

I stayed where I was. Ruby's eyes where on Anjelnin.

"Do you understand me?" Anjelnin asked Ruby. She was speaking Atlantean now.

"Yes."

"Good." Anjelnin's lips distorted into a hideous smile. "Now _listen_ to me." She grabbed Ruby's hand and their fingers intertwined.

"Anjelnin, what are you doing?" I was anxious now. I shivered. The gaze she flashed me was foreboding.

Ruby tried to get her hand free. She couldn't. Anjelnin grabbed her tighter.

Now I knew what she was going to do. I whispered, "No." I didn't move.

Anjelnin spoke again, her voice a creepy tune, "Experience the reason I can't stop. The reason I'm hate-filled and willing to kill! Be _me_ for a little while! See, sense and feel what I feel." She grabbed Ruby's other hand as well. "Be _me!_"

A shock went through Ruby and she felt like she'd been hit by lightning. A hot wave of anger rushed over her, she knew wasn't her own. It was Anjelnin's. Her vision had changed as well. There was a transparent layer of the room clouding her sight. Anjelnin turned her head and looked at Lia. She felt another emotion that wasn't hers. Under all the anger there was a spark of happiness. The transparent layer had changed and moved as Anjelnin had turned her head. It was what she saw.

Ruby stared at her. She could see Anjelnin clearly, but also the transparent layer of what Anjelnin saw right this second. And that was Ruby looking at her. It was confusing. She saw herself, Anjelnin and two different angles of the room.

Anjelnin spoke and Ruby felt her pride, "I have never before let anyone else feel like me. Now concentrate on either what you see, or what I see to get rid of that overlay!"

Ruby concentrated on seeing what Anjelnin saw and suddenly she _was_ her. She tumbled backwards and fell. As she hit the ground her vision changed and she found herself looking up at Anjelnin. The overlay was gone. The rush of different emotions that weren't her own wasn't. She felt both, Anjelnin's derision and her own fear.

"This is insane!" Ruby shouted. She was more scared than ever in her life before. "Please make it stop!"

"What's wrong with feeling like me? You don't like it?" Anjelnin let out a mad laughter. "You'll hate me later." She paused and leaned down to Ruby. "I hope this won't break you."

Ruby searched for me with her eyes. She was almost crying now. "Make her stop, please!"

Anjelnin's satisfaction went through her as I answered her.

My eyes were filled with pain. "I can't… I'm sorry." I turned away from her.

"Why didn't you tell me you can't save me?" Ruby screamed.

Anjelnin closed in on her. Ruby winced. She now felt a flash of hate that built up in Anjelnin as she had shouted at me.

"I couldn't have prepared you for this, Ruby…"

She stayed silent. Anjelnin went to kneel in front of her. She put her chin in her hands and looked into Ruby's eyes. A minute passed where they only stared into each other. Ruby felt trapped by her gaze. She feared those piercing green eyes that seemed to look into her soul.

"You're not weak," Anjelnin said. "You fear me, and even though you held your breath as I looked into you, you didn't avert your gaze."

"I couldn't," Ruby whispered. "You trapped me."

"I didn't." Anjelnin moved closer, rose a bit and leaned over Ruby who was lying on the floor now. Her hands were to both sides of Ruby's head. "But now I did." She leaned even closer. Her face only inches away from Ruby's.

Ruby gasped and turned her eyes away.

"Am I too close now?" Anjelnin asked. She didn't wait for an answer. "You see you could've looked away earlier… but you didn't. And if you look at me again now... Now that I am that close to you, you might notice something has changed. So look at me again."

Ruby slowly focused her eyes on Anjelnin's again. She had felt Anjelnin's anger turn into a soothing, calm emotion.

"Do you see?" Anjelnin asked.

Ruby's eyes filled with tears. "I'm so sorry!" she sobbed. "I didn't know!"

"You just saw what lies underneath the surface. This is who I really am and I'm different from who you thought I was. You know my reasons now."

"I'm sorry! Please stop, I don't know who I am anymore!" Ruby begged. "I don't know if it's you or me who fears is angry, calm or cries!"

Anjelnin smiled. She had done her job. She stood up and cut the connection with Ruby. They were both on their own again.

Ruby rolled up into a ball on the floor and cried. "Don't ever do that to me again. I beg you!"

Instead of answering she asked, "You understand now?"

"Yes," Ruby sobbed. "You're not a bad person. You are just… misunderstood."

"Good. I won't do that to you again, I promise. I won't do it again if you don't want me to and aren't ready."

"What?" Ruby looked up in shock.

"You'll see it can be useful… I'll explain it some time else."

Ruby didn't like it. She shook again and said, "Don't do that again."

"Okay I won't. But I'll explain it anyway tomorrow."

"Fine." Ruby didn't move.

Anjelnin told her, "Lie down on the sofa and get some rest. Think of something nice and calm your thoughts and emotions."

"How am I supposed to do that? My mind's a mess!"

Anjelnin pointed at the sofa again. Ruby went and lay down. I brought her a blanket and a pillow. She fell asleep immediately.

Anjelnin and I stayed up for quite a while after Ruby had fallen asleep. Anjelnin assured me again, that she won't get rid of Ruby even after she had killed Elise. She hadn't changed her just to use her. When Ruby had looked into Anjelnin's eyes earlier she had seen the true reason why she had changed Ruby.

"I didn't change her to get rid of Elise for us," Anjelnin said. "I changed her so she could recover from the things Elise had done to her. Wounds like that take a long time to heal. I didn't want her to die when she's old, still blaming herself for not being able to stop the death of her friend, for being a victim of Elise's sick games… I know what it's like to be used, you know that Lia. And you also know that I build up a resistance to it over the hundreds of years of my life."

"Yes, I know," I sighed. "I also know that you didn't change her just to use her. Don't forget I know you as well as I know myself. But I still wonder if Ruby really believed that you would kill her after she'd done your job."

"She did, unfortunately," Anjelnin grumbled. "That's why I made the connection with her." She smirked. "She believes me now. She won't doubt my words again."

"Well," I was tired all of a sudden. "That settles that." I yawned. "Maybe we should go to bed as well? We get up quite early again tomorrow. By the way, what was it we were going to do tomorrow?"

"We wanted to continue Ruby's flight lessons outside the church. And we still have to go to the city center to see if anything has changed there yet."

"So I guess we'll be checking out at the hotel tomorrow too?" I asked.

"Yes. We'll teleport back home tomorrow."

"Fine," I stood up and kissed Anjelnin sweetly. "Good night, Anjelnin."

She gently tousled my hair. "Good night, Liathente."

I knew Anjelnin wouldn't be up much longer than I anyway. I lay down on the double bed and fell asleep as well.

The alarm went off at 5 AM local time and I got up to shower and wash my hair and face. Anjelnin was still sound asleep. When I entered the living room, Ruby was already up.

"Good morning," she said.

"Good morning. Did you sleep well?"

Ruby stretched. "Yes. Like a baby."

I chuckled, "Well that's good." I was still drowsy. I wasn't a morning person at all. Ruby seemed to be the total opposite. She looked wide awake and her eyes were shining brightly.


	7. Scene 9: Christmas At Natla Manor

**SCENE 9:**  
**_~ CHRISTMAS AT NATLA MANOR_ ~  
**

_Some stories need a happy ending, but it seems like this one won't…_

* * *

The door of the living room, illuminated with candlelight, swung open and Anjelnin, loaded with gifts entered.

»Holy shit! I told you to only buy a _few_ things!« I stood up and relieved her of some of the presents. I'd been sitting there waiting for her to finish the Christmas shopping for hours. Anjelnin had left the house at about 6 o'clock and since that time, three hours had past. Exactly. The clock just struck the hours. It was 9 PM now.

»But those _are_ 'just a few things'«, Anjelnin replied sanctimoniously. She peeked around the pile of presents she was carrying.

»Yeah, yeah. Sure! I guess you traveled half the world to get all that stuff, didn't you?« I placed the presents I had relieved her of on a nearby chair and went back to her.

»There's another pile standing in the hall. Could you bring it in?« Anjelnin asked casually and put the presents down next to the huge Christmas tree in the middle of the room.

I raised my eyebrow and went to the entrance hall. A pile twice as tall as me towered next to the door. I stared at it.

_Holy shit, Anjelnin! Seriously, you're totally going over the top!_

I called, »You're funny, stupid! How shall I be able to carry that inside? It's overtopping the door by far!«

She came to me and took a look at the pile. »You're right. Oh well…« She kneeled down and reached for the bottom packet and pulled it away, so fast that the pile over it simply slumped, but not to the side but straight down, filling the room that had suddenly not been there anymore. Anjelnin went on pulling packets away until the pile was small enough to get it through the door. »So«, she said, pointing at it. »You can bring it in now. I'll go and get the rest.«

She headed for the entrance door, leaving me standing there totally perplexed. »Hell, where are you going?«, I called after her.

»Getting the rest of the gifts here, of course!« She didn't turn around. She simply waved over her shoulder and stepped outside. »Oh and make sure Natla doesn't see all those. I bought everything with her credit card.«

»You did WHAT?« I couldn't help but meet her with disbelief.

»Liathente? Anjelnin? What are you doing down there?«, Natla called from upstairs.

Anjelnin turned her head, smirked at me and her lips formed a silent 'Merry Christmas'. Then she disappeared into the shadows of the yard.

I hurried up with getting the pile of presents into the living room and replied, »Nothing, Natla. Anjelnin just brought some Christmas presents, but she already rushed off again, to get the rest.« I heard her coming downstairs. I quickly extinguished all the candles in the room and drew the curtains of the windows, rushed out of the room and locked the door, twice.

»Say, you haven't seen my credit card, have you?«, Natla asked setting foot into the hall.

»Nope«, I smiled and walked over to her. »Where have you last seen it?«

Natla thought about it and her expression turned darker with every second. »It was on my desk in my home office, before I went back to Natla Tech this noon.«

»Really? Oh…« I went to the kitchen. »Oh well, I'm sure it'll show up again. I however, am going to make myself a cup of hot chocolate now. Do you want anything? Coffee? Tea?«

Natla followed me with a chuckle. »Coffee would be nice.«

I rummaged around for the Java and the cacao and fetched two cups from the cupboard. Meanwhile Natla nestled in the stuffed armchair near the furnace. I filled both cups and sat down on the armchair face to face with her and handed her, her cup of coffee. »There you go.«

»Thank you.« Natla took a sip and stared into the fire.

We sat there in silence. No one spoke for as it seemed hours. Natla had put her cup down on the little table between us and wrapped her arms around her legs. She looked so peaceful the way she sat there with her arms wrapped around her legs, her head resting on her knees. She seemed to be thinking about something.

I watched her. The usual cold expression on her face had given way to a quiet smile and the icy blue of her irises seemed to be more liquid, looked like melting ice.

For the fist time, I wondered what had made Natla so cold and pitiless. I was sure she hadn't always been that way. There must have something happened in her past that had turned her into the person she was now. Lost in thought I also gazed into the fire that was burning in the furnace, warm and bright, and after a while I felt Natla's stare on my face.

»What are you thinking?« she sounded honestly interested.

I looked up. She had leaned forward on her elbows and watched me attentively.

»I… am thinking about…« I paused, not sure if I should lie to her or not.

»Yeah?«

»…Anjelnin«, I lied.

Natla's eyes bored into mine and for a moment it seemed like the blue of them was freezing. »You're a bad liar, Liathente.« Natla stated. »So, what were you _really_ thinking about?«

I looked away. Natla's stare made me feel uncomfortable and I didn't like the fact that she was able to see through me so easily. I sighed. »I was thinking about… you.«

»Ah.« Natla sounded satisfied. She went on and with every word she spoke her voice more and more turned into a haunting whisper. »Were you thinking about how it comes that I am so cruel and cold most of the time? How it comes that I don't care for anyone? What had turned me into the person I am now? Were you wondering, what I was thinking about a minute ago, as you've been watching me?« She further leaned forward and smiled at my shocked expression. She had retold exactly what I had been thinking.

»I know you, Liathente«, she whispered and I once again, looked up into her blue eyes. »You're a thoughtful person. You're always trying to help people, but you're also able to manipulate them if you want to. People see hope in you. That's what the Atlanteans had seen in you back then. You're not called 'Light in the Dark' for no reason. I know you better than yourself.« Natla's stare became intense. I was shaking, without realizing it. »And should you ever turn against me, be assured: I can take away that light from you, or at least Anjelnin can, and it'll break you wholly. She's the shadow that consumes the light, bit by bit, until there's nothing left of you.« She stood up and walked around the small table. Kneeling down until she reached my eye level and said softly, »But I don't wanna break you… not now. Anjelnin won't do anything without my command. She truly likes you, so you're safe with her… until I give my final order…« Natla smiled and it was one of the cold ones I knew so well. »I know how this story ends, and I can tell you it's not gonna be a happy ending…« And with those words she left the kitchen, leaving me sitting there, trembling and cold. I was freezing even though I sat right next to the furnace. Never before had Natla made herself so clear. She was only tolerating me because I was close to Anjelnin, otherwise she'd killed me long before.

Well, she had tried, earlier… using the Nightmare's Collar on Anjelnin. I could count myself lucky it didn't work.

'_I need to talk with her about this. But I don't know if I can…' _I thought and tears started to run down my face.

I coiled up in the armchair and cried myself to sleep.

Street lamps flickering, casting eerie shadows all over the place. Anjelnin was standing in the middle of a marketplace on a platform, where once has stood a statue in a little no-name village. She was surrounded by a flock of black birds. She turned around as I approached.

»Do you need to kill me then?« she asked, looking at something I was holding.

My gaze found the bloodied knife I was holding. The sight of it scared me, but my voice was low and cold as I spoke. »What did you make me do?« I asked.

Anjelnin smiled cruelly. »Look at the knife you're holding and then guess!« her eyes were burning like fire. She was challenging me to attack her. »Population equal zero now.« Her voice took on a fake sweet tone. »I'm so proud of you!«

My grasp around the handle of the knife tightened. I narrowed my eyes. »You made me kill them…« My other hand clenched into a fist. »You're abominable and despicable! You send me to kill off all those people despite the fact that you could've slaughtered them on your own!«

Anjelnin laughed a horrifying evil laugh. »Oh and why should I dirty my hands, if you're here to do all the dirty work? Besides, I thought you hate all those people in the village anyway.«

I couldn't take it anymore, I acted without thinking. My hand moved mechanical and the knife I had been holding hurtled towards Anjelnin. She flashed me a glance and her eyes twinkled malicious and sly. Two foot before the blade could bore itself into her chest it bounced against an invisible wall and with a bang it broke into pieces.

Anjelnin raised her voice. »You dare to throw«—She suddenly stood in front of me and shoved the blade right under my nose.—»_this_ at me!«—She landed me one in the face. The sheer force of her blow sent me tumbling backwards. My eyes filled with tears.

Anjelnin roughly grabbed me by the shoulders and I felt a sharp pain in my right one then something soaking my clothes. I looked down at me. The whole right half of my body was spilled over and over with blood. I breathed heavily as my glance fell on the knife that was sticking out of my shoulder. My vision blurred.

»Tell me, _Lia_«, she spat my name out as if it was something disgusting. »What happened to us? We used to be _friends_.«

Her words made my head spin. She truly was too blind, too naive to see what the reason for this misery was. »You ask what happened?« my voice came out low and bitter. »Well, Natla and the Nightmare's Collar happened, that's it. Everything started to get worse after she used the Collar on you the first time. Don't you see that you've become a marionette? HER marionette! Are you just like existing to follow her orders? You're threatening me, because she says so. You're hurting me, you're insulting me, you make me do things…« My voice turned to a whisper, »You're hurting your own friend because someone tells you to… You don't deserve my friendship anymore… You don't deserve anything… You're a monster—!«

Anjelnin suddenly pulled the blade out of my shoulder and I was convulsed with pain. I fainted slowly. Like in slow motion the world turned sidewards and my head hit the ground hard. My field of vision minimized and I was looking through a black tunnel. Anjelnin was standing over me, laughing. Her voice came from far away. »I think you said enough! Now…« I saw something flashing in the light and felt something cold and sharp-edged boring into my head, cutting through my skullcap. Blood poured out of my nose and out of my eyes. I screamed piercing. The blood clouded my sight, painted everything I saw through the black tunnel red. My clothes further soaked with blood, it built a sea under and around me. Anjelnin struck out again and rammed the blade into my head a second time. I howled. She had hit the part of the brain that controlled the vision. Now I was completely eyeless. I tried to get up, but couldn't. I robbed over the ground into the direction I assumed Anjelnin. I could still hear her laughing. My hand found her leg and I yanked at it. »Please stop it! It just slipped out! I didn't mean to say all that! I'm sorry!«

Anjelnin kicked me in the face and I felt my nose breaking. I cried.

»Anjelnin, please! I'm sorry!« I choked.

»Far too late to apologize, sweetie!« she hissed.

»Anjelnin, please!« I crouched back towards her, still bleeding from the head like a slaughtered pig. »Please, please!« I kept crying and collapsed on the ground, hearing her mad despising laughter.

_»Poor you! Did I break your nose, huh? God I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!« _Anjelnin's voice had reached a level of cruelty I couldn't take anymore. It sounded so unnatural, so disgusting that I couldn't stop myself from throwing up. She was killing me. Literally killing me. I had never considered that for possible, but she put all her will into breaking me apart. Her hatred had increase to something that could even end an Atlanteans life.

»It's a pity you can't look at me now. I'm the personification of death. My nails are scythes, my eyes are burning like hellfire, the trees and flowers around me are dying. I'm walking through a sea of blood. I'm walking into your direction. I'm gonna hurt you again.« I felt Anjelnin's heavy boots making the ground quake as she approached. »Do you wanna see me one last time, before I snuff out your life?« she asked me, her voice was filled with hate and a funeral of the time we had spent together for over million centuries. She pulled me to my feet and laid her hand on my head. »Do you wanna look your old friend in the eyes one last time?«

I sobbed and tears ran down my face. »I don't know«, I answered, my voice a pain filled whimper.

»Oh, but I know you do«, Anjelnin stated, sharply.

My sight returned. Red bloodshot eyes stared into mine. It weren't really her eyes I was looking into, because Anjelnin wasn't the person I had known for centuries anymore. Her face was whiter as a sheet of paper; her teeth were bared to a misbegotten smile. Trees and bushes in the area were black and rotten, the ground was an over 1 inch deep pool of blood that shimmered white in the light of the street lamps.

»It's all yours. Your blood. It'll seep through the ground, leaving the memories of us all over the place and every now and then, when someone comes here to think and be alone for a while they'll see a part of our history, some of the good times we've spent together and some of the bad times…« Anjelnin stretched out her arm and pointed at the scene. »Enjoy it as long as you can, because the second I let your head go you'll be blind again.«

I smiled a sad smile and said, »So this is how it ends?« I was still crying. Bloody tears dropped into the pool under my feet. »I used to like you, Anjelnin. You were one of the best friends I've ever had...« I cried harder and gazed into the distance. »Anjelnin? I know you hate me now, but can you promise me something? Can you promise me to think back to the old times every now and then when I'm gone? The time we used to laugh together and had fun? I don't wanna die knowing you won't ever think of me again.« I looked at her, looked into her red bloodshot eyes through a veil of bloody tears. »Promise me, please…« my voice was filled with dolor.

Anjelnin's eye color slowly changed back to green and the hate-filled on her face turned to a last bright honest smile. »I promise«, she said and those were the last words I'd ever hear her saying again.

My own pained howl woke me up. My heart was racing and I had been crying while sleeping, apparently also talking. I looked around. There was no one around yet, but I was sure either Natla or Anjelnin had heard me screaming.

»I need to get outta here for a while«, I said to myself. »I can't take to talk to anyone right now.« I took a deep breath. »Calm down. Just calm down, it was only a dream… a nightmare…« I was cold, I shivered and I just wanted to run. Walking at a swift pace I took my jacket and left the kitchen, went through the entrance hall and headed for the yard.

The air outside was cold and it felt like it'd snow soon. Moonlight spread across the huge green space of Natla Manor and gave it a calm peaceful atmosphere. I made my way to the swing on the hill and told myself to calm down over and over. I was almost running now and I didn't pay attention to where I was going when I bumped into Anjelnin.

»Ouch!« I exclaimed when I fell with my back to the meadow. The grass was clammy.

Anjelnin raised an eyebrow and asked, offering me a hand to help me up, »So where were you running?«

»I- I dunno…« I said, getting up on my own. Anjelnin saw me trembling, shrinking back from her outstretched hand.

»What's wrong?« she asked, puzzled.

»Nothing, it's just damn cold here«, I lied.

Anjelnin stepped one step forward and I drew back without noticing. She pointed at my jacket. »You can't be cold you're wearing your winter jacket.« Studying my face she went on, »Besides, you look like you cried.«

I glanced away and affirmed, »But I _am_ cold and I _didn't_ cry.«

She didn't believe me. »You're lying«, Anjelnin stated firmly. »Now, please tell me what's wrong with you. You'll feel better afterwards. I can tell.«

I shook my head. I knew it wouldn't get better. It'd make everything worse. »No, I can't«, I whispered and started to cry again.

»Lia!« Anjelnin was shocked for a moment; she moved forward and grabbed me by the shoulders. »Lia, please! What's wrong with you?«

»No, no, no!« I was shaking now and saw myself robbing over the ground in the nightmare, hearing me begging Anjelnin to stop hurting me. I closed my eyes.

Anjelnin's voice became slightly alarmed, slightly afraid. »Lia, please! Look me in the eyes and tell me what's wrong!«

My knees buckled under my weight. »Stop it! Stop doing that!« I screamed as I heard her saying words from my nightmare.

»Lia!« Anjelnin was clearly worried now, almost terrified. »What's wrong? TELL ME!«

»No!« I howled. »I can't!« My knees hit the ground.

»I'll have to make you tell me«, Anjelnin's voice was trembling. »I'm sorry!«

I opened my eyes, stared at her in shock. »No, please!« The Nightmare's Collar around her neck began to glow and the air around her was filled with black smoke once more.

»I'm so sorry!« she said and the words came out as a hiss. It was the effect of the collar, when she used it.

I heard her saying the words that would force me into telling her everything. My sustained yelp was carried miles.

Light flashed up around me and grew brighter as my nose suddenly started bleeding. Anjelnin gasped.

»I can't tell you!«, I cried and wiped the blood off of my nose which bled stronger now. »I can't tell you what's wrong, because it'd hurt you!« I retched and coughed, had to prop myself up with one hand in the grass. »You can't force me to tell you something I know would make you feel bad!«

I closed my eyes. Anjelnin stood there in shock as she realized that I was resisting the effect of the Collar with all my might.

»Lia—!«, Anjelnin commenced.

»I can't hurt you!«, I yelled and tears began to streak down my face. »Just leave it be!« I sobbed in pain and looked up at Anjelnin through the white blinding light that surrounded me. _»I won't ever hurt you, even if it kills me«,_ my voice was almost inaudible as I whispered the words.

I knew Anjelnin had heard what I had just said. Her eyes widened and she stepped backwards taking back the words that would usually had me telling her what she wanted to hear. Not this time, though.

I cowered in the wet grass and tried to catch my breath. I was shaking from physical exhaustion. Anjelnin still stood there, staring down at me unable to speak. I looked away, looked at the blood spilled grass below me. My nose still bled and small drops of blood dropped onto the meadow like raindrops.

»Say something«, I said quietly, my voice filled with regret. Suddenly I felt terrible about not telling her everything. I used to be able to entrust anything to her, no matter what it was and now I had refused to tell her about my worst nightmare.

Anjelnin didn't reply at first. There was a long silence before she spoke. »I feel aggrieved. Don't you trust me anymore, Lia?«

»I- I do trust you«, my voice was shaking and I heard her squatting down in front of me.

She asked, »What could be so terrible that you don't wanna tell me about it?« And as I didn't answer she went on, »C'mon Lia! You can tell me everything, you know that. No matter what it might be.«

I still stared to the grass below me and inspected the blood that was still dripping off my nose. It shimmered white in the dim moonlight and slowly seeped in the ground.

_»It's all yours. Your blood. It'll seep through the ground, leaving the memories of us all over the place and every now and then, when someone comes here to think and be alone for a while they'll see a part of our history, some of the good times we've spent together and some of the bad times…«_ I heard her voice in my head, heard the words from the nightmare again and sobbed, whimpering silently.

I felt Anjelnin's gloved hand under my chin and my head was gently pushed up.

_Unknown person's point of view:_

Something had happened… someone's sustained screams were carried by the wind into the valley, high and pain filled. The screams of someone who had lost hope…


	8. Scene 11: On The Marketplace Again

**SCENE 11  
_~ ON THE MARKETPLACE AGAIN ~_**

* * *

She stood there in front of my lifeless body and watched the black birds around her fly. Anjelnin had just realized what she'd done. She started at her hands, which began to shake uncontrollably.

"What have I done?" she said in shock and her voice was filled with self-hate and fear. "What have I done?" She crouched down, fell to her knees and cried over my dead body. She was a black figure trembling with sorrow and pain. A figure propping itself up on her palms, bending over her friends blood soaked corpse on a dark marketplace in a now abandoned village.

Tears fell down on me and mixed with the blood making it shimmer in a bright white. It had already begun to seep through the ground and Anjelnin could feel our history becoming one with the place. We'd never really be dead. Our memories would remain till the end of time, here right on this marketplace; right here in this village that lay silent now, silent and as unable to draw a breath as I was. This was the place where everything had ended, for me… and for her as well.

Anjelnin averted her eyes from my face and stared to the ground through a veil of tears. They dropped into the pool below her and circles appeared, slowly becoming bigger as the waves swayed away. My still body began to give off a pale almost not visible glow and my pained crying once again filled the air. Slowly shapes began to materialize and my screaming grew louder.

Anjelnin had to watch herself kicking me, had to watch how she hurt me again and again a second time. She cried harder as she watched herself ramming the blade into my head twice and saw me robbing over the ground, back to her. She was still holding the knife in her hand and now gazed down at it and as she heard me saying my last words she closed her eyes and put it to her wrist, ready to cut herself.

"_Please, Anjelnin. Don't do that," _my voice came from in front of her.

Anjelnin snapped her eyes open and saw a glowing transparent me standing in front of her, smiling gently and her eyes went wide. It was my spirit that had come to protect her. To take the pain from her.

"_You're dead! You're dead because of me! I can't live with that! I can't live with the __blame I killed you!"_ Anjelnin cried. _"I regret what I've done. I'm sorry I killed you! I don't know what happened! I don't know what is with me!" _She had spoken Atlantean so I knew everything she had just said was true. Her heart was filled with regret and hopelessness, but also hatred. You could hear it in her voice and notice it from the words she had chosen to use in Atlantean. Atlantean words change its meaning and express emotion depending on how you order and pronounce them, but there are also words that completely change if your emotion does and now words that usually were so short had become longer and longer and the rhythm in Anjelnin's voice had turned into a sad, yet creepy melody.

"_Oh Anjelnin,"_ I said softly. _"You don't have to be sorry. It's fine. I don't blame you and so don't have you blame yourself. I'm fine. I'm fine where I am now. Don't be sad that I'm not here anymore, because I am if you are. I'll always be there right by your side, even if you can't see me."_ I smiled at her, smiled one of my bright cheering smiles and looked in Anjelnin's tear stricken face. _"Please tell me that you won't be sad anymore knowing I'm fine where I am now. Please tell me you won't miss me, because you know I'm there in your memories."_ I turned around and faced the blood-red horizon. _"Smile when thinking of all the good times we've spent together. Smile and say that I'll always live on in your memories."_

"_Are you smiling?"_ I asked, smiling myself. _"Because I am."_

"_Yeah, I'm smiling." _Anjelnin replied sobbing heavily, but she really was. Tears streaked down her face, but yes she was smiling. I could feel it. I could feel her pain and sorrow, but there was also a tiny little bit of happiness inside her and that was what would remain. She'd forget the worst things we've gone through. She'd think of me and be happy, a little sad maybe, but I'd take most of her dolor with me, so she could live her life without regret until the day the earth would stop turning and then she would follow me to the place I was now, looking out of a window down on the earth.

**E**_ Some stories_

_don't_

**N**_ need a_

_happy_

**D**_ Ending…_

—AFTERWORD—

_You've just finished reading the first__ of three endings to this story. I hope you enjoyed reading._

_ Dedicated to_

_All of you_

_ Who love_

_ Sad stories_


	9. Scene 12: Different Feelings

**SCENE 12**  
_**~ DIFFERENT FEELINGS ~**_

_I will sacrifice  
I will sacrifice  
All I have in life  
To clear my conscience_

* * *

I opened my eyes. I'd been sleeping all day after the recent events and I really needed the rest. I yawned and stretched myself out on my bed at Natla Manor. It was already bright outside and the sun was shining through the curtains before the large picture window, making the light shining though it dim warm and soft.

"Anjelnin?" I whispered into the silence. "Are you there?"

"I am," came her voice from the right and I turned my head to her.

She was sitting on the windowsill with her head on her knees. She looked at me and asked quietly, "How are you?"

"I… am fine. Why?" I was confused. Why was she asking me that?

"Just curious," she replied, but something about the way she said it made me worry.

I asked, "Are you ok? You sound… unemotional…" I was uneasy.

"I'm okay. Really. It's just…" she hesitated and looked away. "…it's just… Do you remember what happened last night?"

"I…" I thought of it and couldn't. I stared at my hands. "I can't remember… no."

Anjelnin sighed sadly, "Then it's over I guess..."

I was shocked for a second and asked, "What's over?" I looked back at her. "What are you talking about?"

Her eyes were blank as they met mine. "Everything's over… all we ever were…" She stood up and slowly walked over to the bed I was laying in. "I am sorry Liathente. I am sorry I did it again…"

I was afraid; everything she said made no sense to me. "What did you do again? I don't understand. Please Anjelnin, you're scaring me!" I turned away as she sat down on the edge of my bed and reached out for my face.

"I…" Anjelnin gently pushed my head back, so she had me looking up at her again, looking up into her now regret filled emerald eyes. "…had you do something…"

She turned away and released my chin. I knew she was about to just head out of the room.

Grabbing her hand I said begging, "Please stay. I don't want you to leave. I don't care what you made me do. Just…" my last words came out as a whisper. "Sit with me."

_There doesn't have to be silence if there ar__e no words spoken… Sometimes silence speaks for itself…_

And so she sat down again, just looking to the ground in front of her, without saying a word. I was smiling the whole time and just enjoyed sitting with Anjelnin like that. After a long while she moved. My head had been resting on my pillow this whole time; I had been staring at the ceiling. I felt her coming closer and before I could raise my head to check she was over me. She was smiling gently and slowly pushing her face towards mine.

"Don't say a word," she whispered. "I'll show you what I made you do, just this one time."

"Anjelnin, what—?" I commenced as she placed her hands to both sides of my head next to the pillow.

"Shhh…" she made further coming closer putting a finger to my lips to silence me. "Not a word I want to hear from you now." She was so close now, closer than she had been ever before, because I couldn't draw back like I usually would have. I felt her slow steady breath on my face and could see every orange dot in the midst of her electric green eyes. I was uneasy and tense, almost afraid of being so close to her.

Our foreheads touched and Anjelnin smiled soothingly. I was nervous and couldn't move. I didn't know how to act with her being calm like that for once.

"Ease," Anjelnin's spoke smoothly. "I made you do something to make me feel better yesterday… Now I'll return the favor and show you what I made you do exactly… And I'll show you how I _felt._" She covered my mouth with her hand to prevent me from speaking out another question and my eyes widened.

"Not a word," Anjelnin repeated softly and stared deeper into my eyes.

The room began to blur and I felt like something was going through my body.

Reflected in Anjelnin's green eyes was my face, just before it changed. I saw a room. This room. And in the middle of it was Anjelnin, standing motionless. I heard her thoughts in my head, felt her desperate fear.

_I did it again, I did it again. I don't want to do this anymore. I don't understand why she makes me do this. It's pointless. Cruel! I don't want to kill anymore! It's not necessary to kill them just to bring the seventh age._

Anjelnin's knees hit the ground hard. She was shaking.

"Anjelnin?" It was my voice calling for her, and a second later the door of the room opened and I entered.

I saw her sunken to the floor and walked up to her. "What happened," I asked gently. "What did she make you do this time?" I kneeled down to her and took her face in my hands, wiping her tears away. I had never seen her cry before, but the sight of it made me sad as well. I didn't want her to cry.

"She made me kill again, Liathente! She used the collar, I couldn't disobey. I had no choice!" She began to cry harder. "I didn't want to do this! They were _children_."

I winced. "She-?"

"Yes, yes she did!" Anjelnin shouted. "And I hated it!" The pain she felt was beyond everything I had ever experienced. She was breaking apart inside.

"Anjelnin, I don't know how to tell you how sorry I feel for you," I whispered. "I really don't know."

Anjelnin's eyes narrowed as she hissed, "Then don't tell me that you're sorry!"

My eyes were filled with surprise and compassion. Surprise for that she hissed at me all of the sudden, and compassion for what she had been forced to do before. "Please, Anjelnin," I tried again. "I'm just trying to help you." My hand reached for her face.

Something in Anjelnin's eyes changed as she saw me reaching for her. There was regret in them, regret and a bit of hope. She whispered, "I'm sorry, Liathente." It turned inaudible, "I'm sorry for what I'm going to make you do now without you knowing or being able to disobey me." The collar around her neck flared blazing purple when she spoke my name and 3 words in Atlantean.

I watched her opening her arms and pulling me into them. Watched myself cuddling close to her and kissing her on the lips and down her neck before snuggling back closer into her embrace.

I felt Anjelnin's relief. Felt her easing as she hugged me, as I kissed her gently. I realized that me saying I wanted to help her had made her make me do this.

I kept watching us hugging and listening to each other's heartbeat, felt Anjelnin's protecting arms around me and knew she wanted to make me feel safe, even though she was forcing me to hug and kiss her. And I did feel safe. Anjelnin could feel that. I wasn't tense. She wasn't telling me to not to be. But what Anjelnin didn't know was that I enjoyed being so close to her. She didn't know that I loved her too. Watching her making me do these things had just made me _know_ that what I had assumed before was right. She loved me.

As it got later and later we kept sitting together. Anjelnin still controlling what I did as she kissed me over and over again until I got sleepy from it all. The collar might give the person control over the other, but it can't shut off essential needs like sleep or hunger.

Anjelnin slowly leaned back and ended our kiss to look at me. She felt grateful, happy and guilty for making me do all that I had seen just now at the same time.

Her voice was really quiet and calm when she said, "I want you to forget what I made you do." Her hand reached for my cheek. She kissed me one more time. Her face away an inch from mine she stared into my eyes. "I want you to forget how it felt and why I made you do it." My eyes went wide and blank. "Now go to sleep. You need your rest." She smiled at me.

She had wiped out my memories. I went to bed and wouldn't remember what had happened when I woke up, just like I did.

Anjelnin closed her eyes, and I found her lying over me again. All the while she had been showing me what she did it was like she wasn't there. The room and everything around me had disappeared. Now it was all back and my head was clear again. I gripped Anjelnin's back and pushed her against me, so she couldn't flee, like I knew she would. She had already turned her head away, but now her widened eyes stared back into mine.

"I am so sorry Liathente," she whispered.

I smiled at her, my gaze on hers loving and gentle. "Don't be," I said.

"Bu-," she couldn't finish her answer back. I had pressed my lips on hers and chocked it in my kiss.

I sighed when I leaned back again. Anjelnin's tension had been replaced with calmness.

"Didn't you know I loved being in your arms like that? Didn't you know I loved kissing you? Didn't you know I… I love you too."

A shock went through Anjelnin when she heard me speak the words. "You knew it all along?" Her eyes filled with tears.

"Anjelnin?" I was worried. "Are you ok?"

Her answer was her lips pressing on mine with such intimacy it sent my heart racing.

"Yes. I love you," Anjelnin breathed in between kissing me.

I had never seen her being so gentle and caring before. I had never thought she would be able to be so loving. It was the exact opposite of how she usually was. Distant and cool.

"And I love you," I answered, breathing it into her mouth as she leaned in again and kept kissing me.


	10. Epilogue: Into The Light

**EPILOGUE:**  
**_~ INTO THE LIGHT ~_  
**

_I leave the past behind me now  
I'm trying to let everything go  
A few more words are spoken before silence  
Now I'm all alone  
I found my angel, saw my light in you  
I'm looking back in time and cry  
Tears shatter on the ground and I see your reflection  
I can still feel your presence but you're not around  
The world behind me's slowly fading  
A blinding light is shining brightly, leading me the way…_

* * *

I was walking towards the light at the end of the tunnel. My footsteps were light on the ground and I could feel a light warm breeze on my face as I go. Somewhere in the distance the sound of a violin, playing a peaceful song appeared. I walked further into the light and the breeze grew stronger, carried the scent of saltwater with it.

I looked around; ran my fingers over the walls of the narrow tunnel. They were made of heavy marble blocks, cold against my fingers and even, not a single flaw on them.

I stopped and took a deep breath. I had almost reached the light. I didn't know what awaited me on the other side, but it couldn't be worse than anything I had experienced in my other life. I turned back into the direction I came from. In the distance, blurry and fading was the blood spilled marketplace, the place where everything had ended in a sudden. I shook my head and averted my eyes. Then I turned away wholly.

_I leave the past behind me now…_

A single tear ran down my cheek.

_Anjelnin, wherever you are now, whatever you do… I wish I could have told you that I always__ saw my light reflected in you. You caught me when I fell and held me when I cried. You were my rising sun, you were there for me all along… I'm sorry I couldn't let you know in the end…_

I smiled a sad smile.

_Wherever you are I hope you can hear me saying__, 'You were my angel and I thank you for all the good times we've spent together…' now._

I took the first step into the light, then the second.

'_I'll always remember you…'_

The light at the end of the tunnel glowed brighter as I stepped further into it. I closed my eyes and heard the rushing of the sea from far away. I took another two steps and a light draft blew over my face. I opened my eyes again.

The light was gone. Trees were standing strung to both sides of the path to my feet, their tops building a roof above me. Sunrays shone through their leaves and let the gravel walk I was standing on glitter. A white beautiful villa was located at the end of the path. I made my way to it, listening to birds singing a song of hope and smiled.

'_I know this place,'_ I thought. _'I've been here before…'_

The villa came closer as I walked. I had nearly reached it. From here I could see the front door clearly. A heavy ebony door ornamented with craved flowers and a silver doorknob. I passed a well standing in the front yard of the mansion. Two ouzels were sitting on it, watching me with their small black pebble eyes, turning their heads sidewards as if wondering what I was doing here.

I walked over to them. They didn't fly away or anything, they just kept looking at me as I leaned on the edge of the in ivy clad well with my elbows. "Hey you two," I said softly and smiled widely. "Did I disturb you sun bathing?" One of the birds hopped forward and chirped. I reached out my hand and stroked it. Its feathering was soft and fluffy. The bird didn't even try to flee, in contrast it lay down fluffed up its feathers and fell asleep.

'_How cute,' _I watched the other bird hopping forward as well, laying down next to the other. _'They don't even seem to bother I'm here…'_

I stood there a while watching the birds sleep in peace. Lost in thought I moved to the front door and read the inscription on the doorplate. It said:

_Liathente's birth house_

"I… was born here?" I asked myself silently.


	11. Scene 16: The Beginning Of The End

_Additional Chapter_

**SCENE 16**  
_**~ THE BEGINNING OF THE END~**_

_Lands will be consumed by fire. The earth will keep on burning. Those lonely souls of love and hatred are the only ones who will survive. For all the weak and crying the world shall end here.  
We're the fire burning on this land. We're the tornado raging merciless through crowded city's, through empty fields and bombed cities. We're the eyes watching the world. We are here, we're there and everywhere.  
Tonight we'll be the new beginning. We're burning everything to the very ground. Forced to love what we're doing we can do nothing but observe. Meadows turn to rotten fields. The night becomes our longest day.  
We love the way it hurts…_

* * *

I opened my eyes.

_It's the beginning of the end. This is where heaven ends and hell sta__rts. This is…our new life now…_

Wind brushed through my hair as I looked over the grain field. The crop blades were swaying in the light breeze, reflecting the orange light of the setting sun. The field looked like liquid gold, like ocean waves crashing against the shore as they gently streaked my wrists and waist. I ran my fingers over the grain as I began to walk, ran them through the golden water that was no. It was an illusion. The hard crops against my palms weren't.

I looked up at the sky. It had turned red.

A sad smile distorted my rose painted lips. _It hurts._ _It hurts to see the beauty of this place. It hurts to see. I want to close my eyes again and hide from our faith._ I closed my hands around the hard, sharp grain blade and drew my hand along it. _Their doom._ Blood dripped down the golden corn like a stream of tears. It seeped into the ground. It left memories behind.

I raised my hands, looking at the cuts the grain had left there and smiled my eyes getting wet. "At least I know someone will be there to remember… to see that we're not heartless, to see that it hurts us what we're about to do… That we don't… want to do this…." My voice trembled as I whispered the words. "That we're forced." A single tear fell from my eyes and dropped to the ground with a triangle sound. It shattered into a million pieces, like glass. It had crystallized while it was falling. It had frozen.

I looked into the distance and stopped walking. I had reached the spot where I'd meet Anjelnin. A single black bird flew along the horizon line. She would be here soon.

_No one. Will. Survive._

The words and Anjelnin's eyes appeared at the same time. I looked into them, didn't say a word. It seemed like I had been waiting for this moment for hours. I just stood there and gazed into the emerald depths.

_This is it. This is what we believe in, it's about to start… Right here._

My eyes became wider as I stared into hers. I began to drown. The full wrath of what was about to happen caved in on me, like cold ice water, burning like acid rain.

"Tell me why we have to do this, Anjelnin." I breathed in sharp as she touched my hands.

I was hurting.

"Tell me, why," I repeated. "Please."

Anjelnin didn't answer. "What did you do with your hands?" She didn't look away for a second. She returned my gaze, searched for a change of color in my blue green irises. "What happened to your hands, Lia?" She felt for the cuts, still looking right into my face, never turning away.

"Memories," I answered. "I want them to remember." I sobbed, just one time, but it was enough to make her look away.

Anjelnin turned away. She faced the horizon and whispered quietly, "I am sorry…" She ran her black gloved hands up along my arms and grabbed them. She looked back into my face again. "I am sorry it hurts you so much. I'm sorry you're bleeding."

Tears streaked down my face. "I can't help it. I see the beauty of this place; I look at what we believe in and at the people who live here and I know: We don't have the right to take this from them." My voice became harder. "We're going to make this place a better place, but why does it seem so wrong to me?" Anjelnin's grasp around my arms tightened a little, as to soothe me. "I'm the light. My name means _hope_. Tell me Anjelnin, why don't I see it? Why's everything _black_?"

"Because you don't look ahead!"

I turned my head sharply. Natla had approached without my noticing. Anjelnin stepped behind me, not taking her hands off my arms. She kept the grasp tightened.

Natla spoke, her voice firm, "You only see the pain and suffering of the people. You don't see what comes after. You don't see the place we're going to rebuild. The world will rise…"

"From the ashes it died in," Anjelnin continued. She looked to the ground. "We know."

"Correct," Natla purred. "And this is _exactly_ what will happen tonight." A smile curled her lips as she went on, "Right _here_."

"I don't want this," I whimpered silently. "It's not _right_."

Natla glared at me, her expression cold and judging. "Who're you to say what's right or wrong?" Natla hissed. She stepped forward. "You're _nothing_." She paused for a second and glanced at the dark red horizon. "Yet I need you to start what _we_," she pointed at herself then Anjelnin. "Long for." Her eyes wandered back to my face. "Actually… I need you _both_."

Anjelnin's arms wrapped around my hips. She whispered in my ear, "The start isn't as bad as you'd think." She smiled insidious. It became sly when she looked up at Natla. "_Do you want me to start?"_ she breathed in Atlantean.

"Start what?" I was scared.

"No!" Natla snapped at Anjelnin. Her eyes narrowed as she turned to me. "I want _her_ to start!"

"Start what?" I repeated, shouted panicking.

Natla held up a photo in front of my face and commanded, voice biting with hate, _"Read!"_ Her eyes stared into mine. "_Read it out. Loud!"_

Anjelnin's grasp around my hips tightened, her hands were clenched into fists as she glowered at the photo.

_We have failed before!_

The fade colored picture showed two women standing on a grain field just like the one we were standing on this moment. The short, black haired woman was holding the other close to her, green eyes half closed as she pressed her lips on the light haired ones. The blonde woman's expression, unlike the dark ones, was terrified. She stared at the fire raging around them, at the red flames that were, even on the faded photo, so blazing that you could nearly feel how hot it must've been there. They were both sweating. The trees behind them rotted in the fire, ash rain was falling down on them. The black haired looked as if she wanted to shelter the blonde from the rain.

"That's not us!" I chocked. "This can't be us!"

"Read it _out!_" Natla snarled with immense force.

I stared at the runes that proceeded line for line, filling the whole photograph with a strange pattern. "No," I gasped.

"Anjelnin!" Natla growled. "Make her!"

"NO!" I screamed piercing. "Please don't make me, don't!" It was too late. Anjelnin had already begun to speak the words that would force me into doing what she said. My eyes went blank. I stared at her expressionless.

"Read it out," Anjelnin said, softly.

I turned my face back to the photograph and started reading, my voice rose with ever line:

"_An image for the future,  
A love that can't define,  
Fire burning in their hearts,  
Reaching out for their surroundings,  
Setting all the grace to live.  
Ice will melt, the oceans rise,  
The world will drown in thousand waters,  
Fire will leave nothing behind, but  
Grazed land that realigns.  
The heart of lovers will survive."_

Anjelnin tuned into my reading, she was singing the lines as if she'd heard them a thousand times before:

"_Their calling sounds out into the night,  
Their voices, they will rise__, they're carried by the wind when  
Day turns into night.  
Light and shadow switch their places.  
Their souls will melt to one in fire,  
Heat will eat them up from inside.  
The spark that sets the fire free will__ set the world alight.  
T__he temperature will keep on rising, burning.  
The world will fall tonight.  
The fire's red light brightens up the dark__ened skies.  
Light and Shadow watch the earth.  
Countless lives we ripped apart.  
There's no regret we have a new start."_

The sky had darkened with every line. The Atlantean words flew out of our mouths like hot running water. The words twisting around each other, the air began to fill with heat haze. Anjelnin's hand shot forward and flipped the picture in Natla's hand. The lines had ended. A single note was scribbled onto its back.

_A puzzle shattered __on the ground can be put  
Right back together._  
…_You just need to find the right pieces…_

The image had been torn. A single stripe of tape was holding it together. The handwriting on the back… was Anjelnin's.

"Please don't make me read any more." I turned away from the picture, turned to Anjelnin and buried my face in her black shirt, her leather jacket crackled silently beside my ear. I dug my fingers into Anjelnin's chest.

Natla's voice cut through the night as she called,

"_Shall the world burn, the seams of the earth tear open, and fire be unleashed by the love of the brightest and the darkest day!"_

The ground began to quake, the sound of breaking boulders crashing into an endless abyss grew louder. It sounded if as the earth under our feet was falling apart. The light breeze brushing over the land brew up to a strong gust. My body started to shake. There was something in the air, something that told me I had to do something before it was too late.

The growling beneath our feet became louder. The sky darkened further.

Natla's words got carried away with the wind,

"_The beginning of the end.  
The world starts with light and so it ends  
The shadows, they will reappear…"_

Clouds were covering the sky and took all the beautiful light away. Three single rays stayed, shining on me, Anjelnin and Natla. I could barely hear her voice over the growling of the earth as the first cracks began to rip the field apart. The blowing wind grew ever stronger.

"_The light shining on the royal Queen  
And right hands, it will shine,  
Just only for them as the others drown  
In total blackness as the world will fall to pieces."_

I watched Natla walking up to us again with fear. The light ray that was shining on her followed her, like a spotlight. She smiled a cruel smile and fleered, "The cracks will keep encircle the earth, will tear it like a piece of paper." She held up the photograph of us and her eyes narrowed as she spoke to Anjelnin who was looking up at her with a sinister expression in her black framed eyes. "And If you dare to fail again, Anjelnin," she shredded the photo in twain before her eyes, opposite to the direction it had been torn apart before and pointed at me. "Then she'll go down with you!" She turned away. "You'll both die…"

Anjelnin's eyes flared. Hatred was building up in her heart and she hissed menacingly, "_Touch her and I'll turn your light out!"_

"_Oh?"_ Natla remarked. "Trust me I won't touch her." She looked over her shoulder and her eyes turned hard. "But the storm will." She stood at a distance now, staring at us, scheming expression in her ice blue irises. She opened her hand. The halves of the photo got caught by the wind.

Anjelnin pulled me closer to her and I gazed after the photo that was now carried away into the erupting storm. Her hand moved up my back. _I won't fail you,_ she whispered. _I won't fail you…_

My eyes shot up and met hers. _I won't fail_ '_you'_.

And there I knew it. She was directing the words at _me!_ My pupils widened. "Anjelnin…" My voice trembled with pain and gratefulness. "Anjelnin, I-," She took my face in one of her hands.

"_I won't fail you again. Never again."_ I could barely hear her voice over the howling of the wind and the breaking of the earth under our feet. Anjelnin continued as she leaned closer, "_I'll keep you safe. I'll keep you close to me. We won't be broken apart like the last time. We won't have to wait another century to be together again."_ Her eyes filed with tears. "I made you forget."

My half closed eyes snapped open and stared deep into Anjelnin's. Her lips were shaking as they touched mine. She slowly pulled me closer. Began to press her lips on mine tighter and ran her fingers into my hair. Something in her eyes began to change. It looked like someone had dripped a drop of my eye color into them. It whirled around and mixed with hers like blood that had dropped into water.

"_I made you forget everything. I made you forget the moment when I failed to grab onto you. I made you forget the pain when the lightning struck you down. I made you forget that the storm I became captured you. Made you forget that you_ _'loved it'_. _Made you forget that you'd miss me. Made you forget that I exist."_ She kissed me deeper, black smoke starting to rage around her like an upcoming tornado. She breathed, "Yet you found me again, and I won't lose you this time!" The whirling blue of my eyes in hers began to glow intensely. I saw mine reflected in them, saw the piercing emerald green ring that encircled my pupils like a snake, looping. I wrapped my arms around her shoulders and her back and pulled her to me, feeling her body pressing against me as the black smoke around her rose from the ground. It revolved around her, radiated outwards until it was not just around her but also me. The circling smoke reached for heaven, reached outwards, radiated into every direction ripping out the crops of the field like sand whirling up in a sandstorm.

Anjelnin's hot breath on my face and in my mouth I heard her exhaling, "You're all that I'm lacking." The blue in her eyes extended, glowed stronger with every word she spoke. "Switch your place with me just one time." Her hands wandered over my body and left me shaking as her kiss became more intense. "Switch your place with me, Lia."

Debris was thrown into the air as the ground shook, ripped apart and heat began to fill the air steadily. I couldn't keep my balance, the earthquake was too heavy. Still clinging to Anjelnin, I pulled her to the ground with me. As we fell, still kissing, moving hands everywhere, the sky began to rain ash.

"_I need your light,"_ Anjelnin aspirated. Her grasp became tighter as she moved one finger along my neck.

"Anjelnin!" Natla's angry voice called, hissed and cut through the roaring of the earth bursting. "Anjelnin! Stop it! Don't make the same mistake again!" Natla was flying over the corn field, her platinum blonde hair now gray from the ash. "Anjelnin, stop it!"

We didn't hear her. All we hear was the sound of our blood rushing through our veins like fire. I felt Anjelnin's nails scratching along my sides, knew that I was running mine over her back and down her spine. The green in her eyes faded more and more into blue with every time our lips met. I wrapped my legs around hers and pressed her against me. My breaths came ragged as I moaned between her kisses, _"Then take it."_ I pushed my tongue down her throat and tears streaked down my face, washed the make up I was wearing away. I shook under Anjelnin's body as she ran her claws along my legs, felt her tongue penetrating into my mouth and her full weight on me. I became hot.

Flames shot out of the cracks permeating the ground, began to burn the land around us, licked on our skin, but we didn't feel it. We were burning hotter than the flames consuming the land.

Natla's insane laughter didn't reach our ears. "This is it! This is what we didn't have the last time!"

My breath went faster, my kisses intensified to something beyond words and I dived into her color changing eyes, pressing her so close to me that I couldn't tell where my body ended and hers started. The green in her eyes had flown away, only left as a narrow frozen ring around her pupils. The blue in them was swirling, glowing and shining with an intenseness that outstood everything I had ever seen.

_And I'll become your shadow in return._ I didn't speak the words out, but I knew Anjelnin had heard them.

I felt the light being soaked out of my body and my soul, felt it draining with every inch Anjelnin's tongue went deeper down my throat. A pale shine moved from me to her, enclosed her, as the shadow she was casting on me slowly laid itself over my skin and clothes. Something entered my mouth, something that wasn't Anjelnin's tongue and I gasped, as my eyes widened, as _our_ eyes widened!

For a second the world stood still. Nothing stirred. The raging flames and smoke were motionless everything was silent and the only thing I saw and heard were my eyes, reflected in Anjelnin's that had taken on her color, saw the small narrow ring of blue around my pupils that was all what was left of mine. I hear my breath going and heart beating at the same speed. I hear Anjelnin's sped up groaning as we pushed our tongues into one another's throat. The seams of the earth ripped open further, the fire burned brighter and hotter than ever before. The tornado around us raged merciless, grazed everything but me and Anjelnin. The cracks in the earth didn't devour us like they did with everything else that was in their way.

The darkness around me increased as the light around Anjelnin did. We had swapped places and now we were melting into one. Into one great firestorm that would consume the world.

I knew what had entered my mouth before. It had been a part of Anjelnin's soul. She had willingly given me a part of her for taking a part of mine, for taking my light from me and casting the shadow she was over me, for _making_ me the shadow. I stared to the side and saw the flames around us burn. Everything darkened.

I looked at my hand. I was fading!

"Liathente, get up!" Anjelnin screamed sounding like in pain, as she pulled me from the ground. She had been hunching over me. I hadn't realized that we had stopped kissing. The glow around Anjelnin grew stronger; the green ring in her eyes began to fade, narrowed further. "Lia, look at me again, before it's too late!" She was blinded. Blinded by my light, that was now hers.

I reached out my hand for her and stared into her face. I was looking through a tunnel, everything around me was dark. The only light was coming from Anjelnin. I felt the heat of the flames burning my skin, but I didn't see them. My heart began to empty, there was nothing but Anjelnin's light. _My_ light. She took my face in her hands once more and stared deep into my eyes. The green ring began to widen as she spoke, "Being the shadow is a burden you can't take without light. You've been mine all along. I want you to understand what it's like. How it feels when everything goes dark and when all you have fades away." She squished my hands tight and went on, some of the light flowing back into me, some of the shadow she casted, returning to her, but only so much that the narrow rings of our own eye color in our eyes stayed frozen. Only so much that I could make myself a tiny little light for myself, so I could stand on my own. Anjelnin continued, "And I want to understand what it's like to be the light. I want to see the world through your eyes and understand the way you feel." She kissed my lips and asked, gently, "Can you take my burden while I keep your light?"

I smiled at her and looked around, stared at the flames that burned brightly behind and around us. They were blazing; everything around them was dark. Everything I didn't focus on was dark, like it was in the shadows. I answered, "Yes, I can take your burden, while you have my light."


End file.
